


will you be my baby (mama)

by subterfuge



Series: wybmbm? [1]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alpha Suh Youngho | Johnny, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe, Awkward Sexual Situations, Bottom Lee Taeyong, Class Differences, Knotting, M/M, Mpreg, Omega Lee Taeyong, Painful Sex, Poverty, Pregnancy, Slow Build, Surrogacy, Top Suh Youngho | Johnny, discussions of minor nonconsensual groping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:00:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 20,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25843213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/subterfuge/pseuds/subterfuge
Summary: Lee Taeyong is the human personification for bad luck. Kicked out of art school, fired from multiple jobs, soon-to-be homeless, Taeyong just can't catch a break. Until his friends corner him into taking a life-changing (and making) job.Successful music producer Johnny Suh has always wanted kids but isn't into dating anymore. When a sudden terminal illness hits his family, he's convinced that now's the best time to find someone to have his baby.
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: wybmbm? [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1875262
Comments: 40
Kudos: 386
Collections: johnyong fest round 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For the JohnYong Fic Fest
> 
> Prompt: abo &/ mpreg: johnny hires taeyong to be his surrogate. it’s all business and strict, until feelings get involved
> 
> This is probably far from what the prompter intended but this story kind of got away from me. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> Also keep in mind that this is Part One. Please don't hate me, I'm fragile.

Johnny Suh knocked before entering the hospital room to find his father awake, sitting up in the bed and staring out the window. Outside was cloudy but it was not as cold as usual for November. He pulled a chair closer to his father’s bed and sat down. “Hey, dad.” 

Johnny’s father pulled his gaze from the outside world to look at his son, his eyes soft and a small, wistful smile on his lips. “John, you’re here. You didn’t have to...” 

“Of course I’m here.” Johnny placed a comforting hand on his father’s forearm. “What happened? What did the doctor’s say?” 

Johnny’s father hadn’t been eating well recently. That had cause him to be lightheaded and weak. It finally got so bad that his neighbor had called an ambulance when she found him passed out in his garden in the front of his small house. 

Not that his father told him any of this. Johnny learned it from the neighbor, who left him a message filling him in on what happened, and then stayed in the waiting room until he had arrived.

Johnny noticed that his father looked a little better now than the last time they FaceTimed a few days ago, not as pale and sickly. 

“Now, I don’t want you to worry, John.”

“Yeah, it’s too late for that,” Johnny muttered. 

His father continued, with a pointed stare. “They found something, it’s almost blocking the way to my stomach, that’s why it’s been a pain to eat lately. They’re still checking some stuff out—and I want to make sure you know that it’s going to be fine!—but, well, they think it’s cancer.”

Cancer. Stage four. The doctor told Johnny that it couldn’t be removed at this point and there’s not much to do for him. Even with support and care, they estimated he had maybe a year at best. 

A year.

They had already told his father as much, but he apparently wanted Johnny to think this was no big deal. Typical.

At the vending machines on the first floor, Johnny thought about what kind of care he could get for his father. Would he have to stay in a hospital for the rest of the time he has left? He knew his father wouldn’t like that. He always liked being independent. Maybe they can get an at-home nurse if they let his father leave. Maybe he could convince his father to sell his house and come live with him for the time he has left. It’s closer to the city centre and the main hospital itself, in case of an emergency…

He didn’t realize his hands were shaking until he had to try to swipe his card at the machine for a third time. 

Fuck. 

Johnny sat down heavily on the chairs nearest to the soda machines. His father was healthy, for god sakes. He didn’t drink or smoke. He was a good person and a great father. Why was this happening to him? 

Johnny’s father was already in his forties when his parents had him. While the large age difference meant that Johnny didn’t get to do a lot of father-son activities with him when he was little, they still had a good relationship. He greatly admired his father, raising Johnny on his own after his wife had died while Johnny was still young. He had never remarried; it’d just been Johnny and his dad.

Johnny’s parents had always been hard-working and dedicated. Even though his parents had a tough start, Johnny had always lived a comfortable lifestyle. His dad paid for a decent sized chunk of Johnny’s college tuition, the rest had been paid by grants. He refused to allow Johnny to use his own money made working part-time at a local record shop. Johnny was always grateful to his father, especially when Johnny became a producer for the 127 Records music label. 

Johnny knew he’s a fully grown, successful adult alpha now, but he couldn’t help but think, _how am I going to do this without my dad?_

A phone call from his work snapped him out of the depressive place his thoughts were spiraling to. Judging by the scrunched up noses and not-so-furtive glances from a few other people in the waiting area, he was no doubt giving off strong, sorrowful scents.

He spoke with his assistant briefly, letting Jungwoo know that he would be coming in soon. He thought about calling in for the day, but he had already said goodbye to his father to let him rest, and he needed something to occupy his mind. It was only one in the afternoon. The latest album his team had been working on still needed to be arranged, anyway. He could get lost in the music process and come back tomorrow to visit his father to see where they go from here.

Halfway on the drive to the office, he realized he left his soda in the machine.

🧸

Sitting on the curb outside of the medical practitioner’s office, Lee Taeyong realized he knew he had been in trouble the moment an email alert popped up from the chief administrator. He had done everything he was supposed to since he started working in the office half a year ago, he never even came in late once. He was polite and respectful of the patients and his seniors. 

He wished he could be surprised, even though they didn’t even give him a warning...

“Hey Taeyong. Whoa, are you alright?” Kim Doyoung had pulled his car up to where Taeyong had asked him to meet. His eyes were full of concern upon seeing his friend moping on the sidewalk.

“Doyoung, hi!” Taeyong, startled for a moment, stood up and quickly brushed off the seat of his pants. He hopped in the passenger’s seat and buckled up. “Yeah, yes, I’m—Well, no, not really. I just got fired.” He tried to keep his shame from showing by forcing a smile, but it probably looked like he was constipated or something.

“Oh. Oh, man, I’m sorry.” Doyoung gave him a half-hug, as much as he could from over the middle console. 

“Thank you for coming to get me.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m glad you called, I hate going out for lunch alone anymore, seeing as I get judgy looks for ordering everything with no one to share it with.” Both his hands came up to rest on his very large, very protruding stomach. “Well, except this little guy.” 

Taeyong grinned. He wasn’t very hungry, but he didn’t especially want to be alone right now, which is why he called one of his best friends. 

After they found a small, decent restaurant, Taeyong followed Doyoung inside. He found his hugely pregnant friend’s waddling gait humorous but knew better than to express it aloud. He didn’t want to be fired and murdered on the same day. 

After they placed their (mostly Doyoung’s) order, they picked a table near the windows. 

“Thanks again for coming to get me. I didn’t really want to go home just yet.” 

“No, no, don’t worry about it.” Doyoung held his head in a hand, elbow resting on the table, and looked across at Taeyong sympathetically. “So, what happened?”

Taeyong looked down, embarrassed to say it. The only good thing about not being able to afford a haircut recently was that his inky black hair was long enough to cover his eyes. Still, he hoped he wouldn’t tear up. “Well, there’s a lawyer that the office uses. He’s the usual douchebag alpha-type.” He paused to clear his throat. 

“Taeyong. What’d he do?”

“Well, he, um. He stopped by the front desk as I was getting ready to leave on Friday and h-he tried to come onto me.” Doyoung’s eyes widened, which gave Taeyong a little courage. He brushed the hair out of his eyes and sat up just a little straighter. “He was intense, said he’s been ‘watching’ me for a while. Whatever, anyway. He was a little slow to take no for an answer, so I kind of, well, hit him.”

“What?!”

“In the face.”

“Oh, wow! Sounds like that asshole deserved it. Wait, they fired you for that?”

“There was a patient in the waiting room.” He remembered the snot-nosed little boy sitting with his mom. The kid had started screeching, giving him a headache that stayed with him the whole weekend. At least he didn’t have to deal with gross, sick kids anymore.

“He also told me before he ran out that he would sue me,” Taeyong made quotation marks with his fingers, “‘for everything’—not that I have much of anything—but I didn’t want to argue about it with the administrator, just in case. Regardless, they said that they couldn’t have a ‘violent omega with a temper’ answering calls and greeting patients, so, yeah.”

“Oh, Taeyongie _hyung_ , that’s terrible, I’m sorry.”

He’s relieved Doyoung understood. While he wouldn’t mention it to Doyoung, Taeyong thought they were looking hard for an excuse to fire him. Not solely because he was an omega but that he was an unmated omega at the ripe old age of twenty-five. The other medical staff were nice upfront, but he knew they said things about him. It was like they knew there was something wrong with him. He never really felt welcome there. 

Taeyong shrugged. “No, I’m sorry, I know you put in a good word for me to get that job.” 

“It’s not your fault, _hyung_ ,” Doyoung explained. “So, what are you going to do, now?”

Taeyong shrugged again and gave a smile of reassurance. “I don’t know, but I’ll figure it out.”

Taeyong could not figure it out. There was a leak coming from his bathroom sink. He couldn’t tell where the water was coming from but tightened the knobs as much as he could, but after coming back a couple hours later to another puddle, he guessed that wasn’t the problem. The sink plumbing was sealed off in the wall, so there wasn’t much else he could do on his own. He’d have to call the apartment landlord. 

That was a problem in itself. 

It’s been three weeks since he lost his job and Taeyong was two weeks behind on his rent for the month. He was too anxious to call his obnoxiously rude and pushy landlord, not knowing when he would be able to make the payment. But now he had to call. He’d be in worse trouble if this water ruined the floor and made its way to the apartment below his. 

The landlord was just as pleasant as Taeyong thought, which is to say, not at all. He made snide little comments about how an alpha would be able to fix things on their own, and looked closely at the baseboards and the walls, like he was trying to find another problem. 

The apartment was fairly nice, it had been perfect for him when he had a part time job and had just got accepted into the university art program. The neighborhood was average for a mostly student occupied area. His couch and desk took up most of the main room, the small kitchen was to right of the main entrance, a couple of small closets built inside the walls, and the small bathroom, small bedroom with his single sized bed. Everything small small small. But that didn’t bother Taeyong. He was happy with his place. Other than his desk overflowing with his art supplies and his windows full of plants and succulents, everything was minimal and spotless. 

But of course, it being in the city, the rent was pretty high. It was looking like he wouldn’t be able to afford to stay soon enough...

After the landlord reached the bathroom and inspected the sink, he gruffly announced that he’d have to knock down a bit of the wall to get to the pipes. 

But—and of course there’s a but—he couldn’t get to it until the end of the week. In the meantime, he’d have to shut off Taeyong’s water to prevent water damage. Taeyong wanted to protest but he figured he didn’t want to draw attention to the rent problem. Unfortunately, it came up anyway. 

“Oh, yes, well, I-I’m in between jobs at the moment,” he tried to explain, his shoulders low and his eyes downcast. He did a quick calculation in his head, deciding what he'd have to hold off using his money for instead. “I can pay half today, i-if that’s okay.”

The landlord grunted. “Fine. But if I don’t get the rest soon enough, you’ll be in between places to live.” He turned to leave after Taeyong handed over the cash, muttering about this new generation of omegas thinking they’re too good to get an alpha to take care of them.

Great. 

🧸

Her name was Eunmi and it was love at first sight for Johnny. She was sleeping, bundled up in a striped hospital blanket, and she weighed practically nothing when Johnny held her. One of her hands had gotten free of the blanket and was curled up into a fist resting on her cheek. 

“Wow, Jae. She’s beautiful,” he whispered.

Johnny’s best friend, Jeong Jaehyun, just smiled proudly and squeezed his mate’s hand. 

Growing up an only child, Johnny hardly had much interaction with babies or children in general. Some of his college friends and then coworkers had babies here and there, and that’s when the yearning began.

It also could’ve been of the movies he’d watched when he was young, or that he had always been an idealist, but Johnny had always wanted a family of his own. He wanted to blame the need to be a good mate and a father in his dumb alpha genetic makeup, but he knows it’s not just that. 

Unfortunately, the few people he became serious with weren’t interested in having a family. 

And maybe that’s why for the past few years, Johnny had fallen out of love with falling in love...

The newborn in his arms started whimpering. She took a few rapid breaths and then sneezed herself awake with the absolute cutest, little sound Johnny had ever heard. 

His heart was officially goo. 

The happy couple were regaling Johnny with the tale of rushing to the hospital and the delivery and the joy and the crying (Jaehyun) and the days at the hospital and getting discharged and coming home.

Johnny was listening, of course he was. But Eunmi had let him sneak his pinky into her tiny grasp and she was looking up at him with her beautiful, glossy eyes. 

“Babe, I don’t think he’s going to give her back,” Jaehyun’s mate stage whispered with a knowing smile. They all laughed, and Johnny held her until she started getting fussy. 

After Eunmi went to her daddy to feed her, Johnny said his goodbyes to them and stepped out of their condo with his long coat over his arm. Jaehyun followed and they spoke briefly about when he should come back into the recording studio to finish the background vocals on one of the tracks for his new album. Johnny reminded him that they have plenty of time before the release, and to spend as much time with his family as possible during these early days of their daughter’s life.

“Really, man. Congratulations. You’re a lucky guy.”

Jaehyun once again practically puffed up with pride. “Thanks, _hyung_. That means a lot.” He cleared his throat, purposefully, and Johnny knew he was not going to like what he said next. 

“You can have this too, you know.”

Johnny sighed and turned away, taking a step to the end of the hallway to look out the picture window, not actually looking at the view of the sun setting behind the city. 

While Jaehyun was the most successful of Johnny’s artists, he was his childhood friend first, ever since Johnny moved from the Chicago with his dad. Which meant he could read Johnny like a book. He knew Johnny craved a family, but he didn’t understand why he just couldn’t _be_ with someone. Johnny didn’t understand it himself...

“God, you're stubborn.” Johnny could practically hear Jaehyun rolling his eyes. “When was the last time you even went on a date?”

“Jeez, Jaehyun. I didn’t know this was going to turn into an interrogation...” he chuckled. Then he hesitated. “I’m even less interested in dating right now. My dad, he has cancer. They said he’s got maybe a year.”

“Oh Johnny, I’m sorry. Fuck, I’m sorry for saying that.”

Johnny didn’t say anything to that, just waved a hand dismissively and looked out at the city with his hands in his pants pockets.

“You know, meeting your daughter got me thinking that if I do have a child in the future, they’ll never get to meet him.” Johnny huffed out a bitter laugh. “He’s always wanted grandkids and I couldn’t do that for him.”

“You could adopt.” 

Johnny laughed for real this time and turned around to lean his back on the window, crossing his arms on his chest. “How would that look, adopting a kid just to show him to my old man before he dies? Besides, I checked on adoption a while ago. They won’t let a single alpha adopt.” 

“Yeah, ‘cause it’s weird. You’re weird, Johnny _hyung_.” The playfulness was evident in Jaehyun’s voice and Johnny grinned, feeling the dark cloud in his chest subside for now. He wonders why Jaehyun’s brand image has always been serious and moody. Jaehyun in person was the most chill of all his clients. 

And then, without the banter, Jaehyun offhandedly suggested, “Hey, you could get a surrogate.”

“Yeah right,” Johnny scoffed, “isn’t that weirder?”

“Hm… No, not really? You’d have the child you’ve always wanted and since you can plan it, you might be able to have it before… well, before your dad passes.”

Johnny glanced at his watch and pushed off the window, rolling his eyes. He put his coat on and said, “I better go before you get any more crazy ideas.”

They hugged goodbye but before he let his best friend go completely, he said, “I really meant it before, Jae. You got lucky with Doyoung. He’s your soulmate, I can tell.” 

🧸

Dancing was therapeutic for Taeyong. It’s easy to not think about anything other than the next move. 

He’s been coming to the Way5 dance studio since his last two years of high school. His family lived a couple of towns away, and while he loved his parents and had some fond memories of his hometown, the last thing he wanted was to be stuck there his whole life. Being an omega in their poor, dilapidated area, much less a male omega, wasn’t something he was looking forward to. 

So, when his high school teacher had pulled him aside and told him that she had sent a few of his art pieces to a friend who happened to work at a prestigious school in the city, that friend in return, sent back an application to the school and assured Taeyong would be accepted.

His parents didn’t understand why he was desperate to leave home this early, but they knew how passionate he was, so they signed the application. 

Alone in one of the smaller dance rooms, Taeyong freestyled to a fast-paced, upbeat playlist to clear his mind. It wasn’t helping like usual this time though; he just couldn’t concentrate. He had known that life in the city wasn’t going to be easy, but he didn’t anticipate just how difficult it was. Now jobless and probably homeless soon, Taeyong knew the obvious solution would be to gather up his pride and head back to his parent’s home. He could get a job teaching… god knows their understaffed and underfunded school could use an extra teacher.

A sudden, wrong twist of his leg sent his body toppling over his ankle. 

“Ah fuck!” he grabbed his pained ankle and immediately began massaging the area.

“Language, Taeyongie _hyung_ ,” a voice tutted.

Taeyong looked up to see his closest friend Dong Sicheng walk through the door. He was freshly showered, wiping a towel through his damp hair. Taeyong figured he finished a class recently.

“Sorry,” Taeyong said sheepishly.

Sicheng flipped off the power of the stereo and crouched down by Taeyong. He grabbed Taeyong’s injured foot in his lap and took over massaging the ankle. “So, what’s with the power playlist? What are you worried about?”

“The _what_?” Taeyong laughed.

“C’mon, _hyung_ , you always play that specifically when something’s bothering you. Also, it reeks of anxiety in here. Spill.”

Taeyong rolled his eyes. “If you weren’t making my ankle feel better right now, I’d walk out right now.”

“Limp out,” Sicheng muttered.

“Hey!”

After a heavy sigh, Taeyong flopped on his back and stared at the ceiling. “Would you—god, this is embarrassing,” he covered his face with an arm, “you wouldn’t mind if I did a little bit of laundry here, would you?” He normally wouldn’t ask for anything like this, but the studio was in walking distance from his apartment.

There was only a slight pause in Sicheng’s ministrations before he continued pressing his thumbs into Taeyong’s skin. “No, of course not. What’s going on? Do you... need anything?”

“No!” Taeyong sat up sharply. “I-I mean, no. Everything’s fine. I just. My water’s shut off until my landlord can fix a leak. It’s no biggie.”

The look Sicheng gave him told him he didn’t believe that was all of it. 

“How’s your job search going?” 

“Ehh that… Not well.” Taeyong leaned back with his palms behind him on the wooden dance floor. He was just getting his heart rate back down from his dance exertion, but now he could feel his heart beat faster again. “No one wants to hire an old unmated omega…” he pouted. 

“Oh, Taeyongie _hyung_ , you’re not that old. Maybe you’re just looking at the wrong places?”

Taeyong loved Sicheng. He really did. Sicheng’s family, regularly active in their son’s schooling, had volunteered to house Taeyong when he moved to the city. He stayed with them until starting at the university, before everything went to shit. They’re the ones that owned the Way5 studio, which they had bought for their son when he showed interest in dance at a young age. Must be nice… 

Sicheng could never understand. 

And, okay, maybe Taeyong wasn’t looking hard enough, but every time he even thought about going to an interview somewhere, his anxiety would spike. He’d been called nasty things behind his back and even some to his face, offhandedly. He thought living in the city would be more progressive, and it is for the most part. Unless of course you’re a twenty-five-year-old unmated male omega...

“I’m doing fine, I promise. I still have some savings left. It’s enough to get me by.” His ankle wasn’t throbbing anymore, so he pulled back his leg and tucked it under himself.

“Is it enough for your food and rent?” Sicheng asked, as shrewd as ever. 

“Taeyongie _hyung_ ,” a voice said, softly. 

Both Taeyong and Sicheng turned to the door to see Kim Jungwoo entering hesitantly. “Are you in trouble?”

Taeyong felt his heart break. “Of course not, Woo, please don’t worry.” And this is why Taeyong didn’t talk about his problems. He didn’t want anyone to be upset. No one should stress over him, they have their own lives... 

Jungwoo sat cross-legged in their little triangle. “Can’t help it, Youngie _hyung_ and I are worried about you.” 

Taeyong was still overheated from dancing but the cold sweat now forming on the back of his neck didn’t have anything to do with that. He knew how Doyoung could get. Take on things like it’s his new mission in life. That’s how he got Taeyong the receptionist job at the medical center. 

“You and your brother worry about everything…” Sicheng said under his breath, for which Taeyong was grateful. 

Doyoung started coming to Way5 when his then boyfriend had been working on the performance for his first album. He wanted to learn how to dance to help him practice. Sicheng had just gotten the studio in his name and began teaching traditional Chinese dancing part-time. And Taeyong... well Taeyong had just gotten thrown out of the university’s art program. 

At least twice a week, they would get together, with a group of other Way5 patrons, and practice the latest dances and learn choreographies from new popular songs. Sometimes, Sicheng would sign them up for group competitions, along with the competitions he did on his own. 

Eventually, Doyoung started bringing his little brother, Jungwoo to the studio. And Jungwoo, with his baby face, child-like voice, and puppy eyes, eventually conned the other two to basically adopt him as their baby brother as well, even though Jungwoo was only a few years younger than them. Despite being the tallest in their group, Taeyong was surprised that Jungwoo wasn’t an omega like his brother, except for the fact that male omegas were usually too rare to have more than one sibling in a family. He sure loved the attention enough.

“Jungwoo, please. Everything is fine. Doyoung shouldn’t worry. He just had a baby, for god’s sake!” Taeyong realized he sounded a little hysterical near the end. He took a breath and put on a smile. “I’m fine.”

Jungwoo looked unsure. He and Sicheng shared a look that hopefully meant they knew how Taeyong could be, stubborn and self-reliant, and wouldn’t push the issue. Thankfully, neither of them did.

“Well, speaking of the baby, Doyoung wants you both to come visit. I just came from there, but he’ll probably text you soon.”

Taeyong checked the clock on the wall. He should be going soon anyway. He could shower, grab something to eat, and see if Doyoung wants company.

Jungwoo continued, “He can’t wait to come back here and dance again, it’s been almost a year. I’m sick of hearing him complaining,” he laughed airily. 

Sicheng snickered as well. “Yeah, no offense Yongie, but I’m glad I’m not able to get knocked up. If I couldn’t dance, I wouldn’t know what to do.”

Taeyong rolled his eyes, and with a wryly grin said, “Yeah, well, I’m never getting pregnant, so I don’t have to worry about that.”

🧸

Johnny got out of the driver’s seat of his car and rushed around to the other side, but his father had already stepped out of the car. His father swatted at Johnny’s helping hands as he stood tall and said grumpily, “Come now, John. I’m not that far gone yet. I can still walk on my own.”

“Okay, okay.” Johnny grabbed his father’s bag from the backseat and followed his father inside his childhood home. 

They had just come from getting a second opinion after his father was released from the hospital, but that doctor’s opinion was the same as the first. It looked like there wasn’t much hope for treatment or for removing the cancerous tumor at all. 

“Why don’t you get some rest, dad, I’ll set up your meals for the week, okay?”

“Whatever you say, _dad_.” 

Johnny rolled his eyes affectionately and watched his father settle into the chaise corner of his sofa. His doctor told Johnny that his medication will make him unusually tired, but it’ll help with pain so that he’ll be able to eat better. 

Looking over everything in the kitchen, Johnny figured the best thing for his father would be soups and soft food, so he got to work. 

Earlier, on the way home, he tried to broach the subject of his father moving into his apartment, but as expected, his father wouldn’t hear of it. He wanted to die in his home and that’s that. Johnny had to force his emotions down after hearing his father talk about his death offhandedly. But he knew he’d have to get used to it. That’s how his father was. Blunt and honest. So, of course, when Johnny asked his next question—if he should hire a nurse—he wasn’t surprised when his father went on a grumpy tirade, “if you even think about letting some stranger into my house…”

Johnny knew his father was all bark, so none of that fazed him. Johnny sighed. Stubborn, stubborn, stubborn. At least he did agree to allow Johnny to send groceries over and to hire someone to take care of his yard…

There will come the time when he’ll have to move into Johnny’s or agree to get a nurse. He won’t be able to live on his own soon enough. His doctor spoke to Johnny at length about that.

After sorting his father’s food containers in the fridge and cleaning up, Johnny went to the living room to rest for a bit. His eyes landed on his dad, fast asleep and mostly upright on the sofa. Watching him sleep made him suddenly think about the fact that he’d have to plan his father’s funeral. Fuck. They’d have to talk about his final wishes. 

_Nope. Nu-uh. Not doing that. It’s too early to think about that_ , Johnny thought. 

His gaze landed on the bookshelf across the room. On the bottom shelf were his father’s photo albums that he was familiar with. Johnny got up to grab one and sat back down carefully, as not to wake his father. He flipped through the first couple of pages, full of photos of his mother and father, separately growing up but matching their ages side by side. Then photos of them together after they met and started dating. Johnny smiled sadly, seeing how young and happy his mother was. He wished he remembered her better. 

“John.” 

Johnny looked over to his father mostly awake now. 

“C’mon, we might as well get misty eyed together,” he said, waving Johnny over to his side of the sofa.

Johnny tsk-ed but scooched over anyway. The next few pages were of their wedding. His father made a few comments here and there, repeating stuff he already knew about their big day. How they opted for a nontraditional, small wedding because of their budget. How his father was so nervous he could barely get through their vows. How afterward they went back to his mother’s family’s house for the celebration. How his mother was the most beautiful woman his father had ever seen.

There weren’t any photos of his father’s parents. They didn’t agree with the marriage, believing an alpha should only be with an omega, not a beta like his mother. Their lack of support was one of the reasons they had to settle on a simple wedding. Not that his father cared, he always said, and repeated now. “Fossils,” he called them, insisting they lived in the past. 

Then, the brand-new couple decided to move to the States, to NYC, to try for new opportunities. His father never saw his parents again after that.

The next several pages were of his parents and their trips and moving all around the US. His mom and dad both were hard workers, he knew. They saved and saved and finally, after so many years, bought a house in Chicago. 

The next page was of his mother, pregnant. “She loved you. She loved you before we knew for sure she was even pregnant!”

“Really?” That’s something he never heard before.

“Oh, yeah! I asked her why she wanted to wait and she always told me she wanted everything to be perfect for you. When we finally got the house, that’s when she decided. She probably had names picked out years before we, well, got to making you.” 

Johnny tried not to shudder at the phrasing. 

“Did I ever tell you… When you were born,” his father continued, flipping to the next page, showing his mother holding a little bundle of blanket, and then several photos of him as a baby, “she said—”

Johnny waited for his father to collect himself. He could feel tears gathering in the corner of his eyes so he blinked them away.

“She said to you, ‘I waited my whole life for you.’” 

After leaving his father’s, Johnny was on his way back towards the city when he decided.

He called Jaehyun, and then another good friend, who happened to be his lawyer, and asked if they could meet.

🧸

Taeyong rushed to take off his shoes before walking into Doyoung’s place fully. “I’m sorry I’m late, I forgot I had to run home and get this.”

He handed Doyoung a thin, rectangle gift, with a homemade, teddy bear stamped wrapping paper topped with a white bow.

“Oh, thank you, and don’t worry about it. Eunmi doesn’t care about what time it is,” Doyoung chuckled and checked the time on his phone. “It’s only eight anyway, she’ll need to get up soon.” 

Taeyong set his jacket over the back of Doyoung’s sofa and then washed his hands in the kitchen sink before grabbed his friend for a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you, Doie.”

Doyoung squeezes back, “Thank you, _hyung_.”

Eunmi was, well, cuter than most newborns. That didn’t stop Taeyong from feeling the most uncomfortable he’s ever been when she was put in his arms. She was so light and delicate; her eyes were closed and she was wrapped tight in her blanket. 

“She’s not a bomb, Taeyong, you can hold her close.” Doyoung helped Taeyong adjust Eunmi. It was a more comfortable position, but Taeyong still felt awkward. 

Taeyong didn’t _hate_ kids, he just never had any great urge to be around them. Working at the pediatrician’s office didn’t help either. The longer he held Doyoung’s baby, however… well, it was okay. She wasn’t leaking or smelly, in fact she smelled nice. Maybe it was because she was Doyoung’s, and Taeyong loved his friend dearly.

They were in the nursery, Taeyong was sitting on the rocking chair near the windows, gently moving the chair by pushing his toes on the floor. Doyoung started unwrapping the gift Taeyong brought.

“Wow, you painted this?” 

Taeyong nodded. It was a watercolor painting of the world map in blues and greens, with the black words overlaying, saying “welcome to the world” with Eunmi’s name and birth date. It had a soft white, wooden frame that Taeyong saw and immediately thought of the idea for the gift.

“ _Hyung_ , it’s beautiful. Wait, I’ll be right back, I’m going to hang it up in here.” He started to leave but popped his head back in. “You’ll be okay with her, right?”

_Oh, no, please don’t leave._

“Of course!” 

He heard Doyoung rummaging around in the kitchen, hoping that he’d hurry. The baby continued to sleep soundlessly, but he still felt anxious. Other than the slight movement of the rocking chair, Taeyong was afraid to move anything else. He was scared he’d drop the newborn.

Doyoung would definitely kill him if he broke his brand-new baby...

“Hey, _hyung,_ calm down,” Doyoung said, laughing, after he came back in the nursery, “you’re not going to hurt her.”

Taeyong didn’t realize he was that visibly tense. Relaxing was easier with Doyoung in the room.

Doyoung got to work putting up the command hook on the wall and then hanging the framed painting. “Perfect. Thank you.” He leaned his back against the changing table and studied Taeyong.

“Soooo,” Doyoung started casually. “Jungwoo called me a little while ago.” 

So much for relaxing… 

Innocently, Taeyong said, “Oh?”

“ _Hyung_ ,” Doyoung said with such long-suffering. 

Taeyong tried not to roll his eyes. “Jungwoo’s exaggerating, Doie.”

“Is Sicheng? Because I talked to him, too.” 

Taeyong tried to slow his rising anxiety. He hated being the topic of conversation and this was twice in one day. It didn’t help that there was a sleeping baby in his arms that he felt so uncomfortable holding. Not that she weighed anything, but that he didn’t know how to... well, how to function at the moment.

Taeyong shifted forward. “Doie, can you…” 

Doyoung knew immediately what Taeyong wanted. He scooped up his daughter and gently placed her in the crib. She didn’t even open her eyes. “She should be getting up soon. She sleeps a lot,” he chuckled.

After a silent minute, Doyoung sighed. “ _Hyung_ , you know you can always ask for anything, right?”

“You know I can’t.” 

“I know you won’t.”

They had talked a few times, at length, about Taeyong’s issues with relying on others. Well, it was mostly Doyoung chastising him and Taeyong trying to get him to understand that he needed to do stuff on his own. 

He didn’t want to be _that_ person who was seen as always needed help and couldn’t do anything for himself. But his two best friends, who never had to struggle for anything, would never get it no matter how many times he explained. 

“Alright,” Doyoung pulled a few pieces of tiny clothes out of a basket and got to work folding them, “how about you just tell me what’s going on and how you’re feeling, and I won’t judge or offer help.”

Taeyong stood looking down at the sleeping baby in crib. He doesn’t think he’d ever seen a baby this quiet for so long. All the ones who came into the pediatrician’s office were usually sick and gross and crying already.

“Fine.” It took him a minute to figure out how to say what he knew he had to say. He had to push through the feeling of shame to get it out. Because Doyoung and the others are right. He _was_ in trouble. And not even spare money from his friends could fix it.

“I think I should go back home. For good.” 

Doyoung turned fully to stare at him carefully. “You said you hated it there, why would you go back?” Taeyong had to give him some credit. His question was absent of any judgmental tone.

“I know. I don’t really have a choice. I’ve tried to hold on to a life here, but it hasn’t been working out for a while. Even before I got fired. Nothing short of a life-changing miracle will fix that. I should have accepted this a while ago…”

Doyoung didn’t say anything else and, more importantly, didn’t offer help. He folded the last bit of the baby clothes while waiting patiently for Taeyong to finish. 

“I don’t know how to explain it, other than I feel like a failure. I couldn’t make it on my own no matter how hard I tried. I wish I could be like you...” Taeyong kept his eyes downward, staring off into the crib, not really looking at anything.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re lucky, Doie. You found your high school sweetheart, the perfect guy, and got mated early, and you have a great life. No one sees you as anything other than a success. Me, I don’t know, it feels like something’s wrong with me and everyone knows it.”

“Taeyongie _hyung_...” 

He looked at Doyoung, who had his arms crossed and eyebrows pinched with worry. He knew Doyoung was trying to think of something kind to say, but probably trying to phrase it delicately. 

But before he had they chance to say anything else, they heard the front door open. 

Unconsciously, Doyoung perked up. “Jaehyun’s home, I’ll be right back, are you okay with her for a minute?” 

_No_. 

“Yeah.” 

Sighing, Taeyong stood by the windows, looking out at the city lights below. Taeyong figured he should start packing when he goes home. He knows he’ll have enough money for the train and food to get him there. _Oh, no_. He’d have to get rid of his plants. There’s no way he’d be able to take one much less all of them. 

And he was so proud of them all…

A soft, fussy noise came from behind him, so he peeked over the crib. The baby was _tremoring_ , her hands were freed from the blanket, moving frantically, and she was gasping small breaths of air. 

Was she having a seizure?!

_Oh, god, what should I do?_

Just then, the crying started. Okay, good. At least it wasn’t a seizure…

“Uh, Doie,” Taeyong said, in the quietest voice possible without meaning to. Her cries got louder.

He’d just have to pick her up, right? he thought. Maybe she’d stop then. Other people do that with babies, it had to help. He leaned over the crib and grabbed ahold of the baby just under her arms and raised her up, keeping her over her crib just in case—in case of what, he didn’t know—with his arms stretched out. “D-Doie?” he tried again, his voice no louder than before. 

“Whoa, what are you doing?” An unfamiliar voice said, mostly amusedly.

Taeyong turned his head to the person, who was next to him in an instant, taking the baby from his hands. “I-I really don’t know.” His heart was beating fast. Did he make it worse? Was she okay? 

_Who is this guy?_

“Shh, shh, hey princess, you’re okay,” the man hushed the baby, cradling her to his chest. The timbre of his voice was deep, but he spoke softly, like honey. He started rocking back and forth and whispering to her. Whoever this man was, what he was doing was working, the baby’s cried subsided.

Now Taeyong was confused and worried for another reason.

_Who are you?_

“Where’s Doyoung?” 

“He’s out there warming up a bottle and talking to Jae.” 

Okay, good. His friend didn’t get kidnapped and he didn’t have to fight off this ten-foot-tall—he smelled the air—alpha giant to rescue a baby who didn’t even like him. At least there’s that.

The man moved the baby near his shoulder and faced Taeyong. “Oh, er, hi. Sorry to steal her from you but,” he tried suppressing a laugh, “you looked like you had no idea what you were doing.”

Taeyong felt his cheeks flare, ashamed. “I don’t…” Whoever heard of an omega who didn’t know how to handle a baby? God, he was useless. He’d give anything to be home this instant...

“It’s okay, Uncle Johnny’s got you now,” the man—Johnny—said softly to the baby, who started eagerly sucking on her own hand. 

“Um, well, thanks,” he said, for a lack of anything to say. He looked over the man, he had a sharp business suit on and his auburn hair had been styled back to seem effortless. He looked like he just stepped out of an expensive car commercial.

Taeyong looked down at the clothes he was wearing, black ripped jeans and an old, fluffy white sweater with a tiny cat embroidered in the center of the chest. 

They both were from two different worlds...

“Sorry about that, guys,” Doyoung started. “Aw, Johnny, you got her to calm down.”

“Told you, he’s like a baby-whisperer,” Jaehyun said, who came to stand next to his mate in the doorway. 

All four were silent for a moment, Johnny rocking the baby close, Jaehyun and Doyoung looking fondly at them, and Taeyong just standing there awkwardly.

Then, comically, both the couple’s smiles dropped and their eyes widened simultaneously. Doyoung pointed a finger at Taeyong and then to Johnny and then back to Taeyong. 

Taeyong was so confused. He looked at the man next to him, trying to figure it out, but the guy looked confused as well.

Doyoung and Jaehyun looked back at each other, but didn’t say anything, they were just...communicating with their facial expressions somehow. Eyebrows furrowing and raising, nose scrunching, mouth quirking. Jaehyun shrugged, Doyoung nodded his head rapidly in response. And then they both grinned, almost diabolically, and turned back to their guests.

It was all very bizarre.

“Hey, Taeyong, this is Johnny, my best friend and boss.” 

“Yeah, Jungwoo is his assistant,” Doyoung cut in. 

“Right. And Johnny, this is Taeyong.”

“My best friend,” Doyoung added in again.

Johnny glanced at Taeyong and then back to the couple. “...Are you guys okay?” 

Taeyong was glad he wasn’t the only one out of the loop.

“Yes, yes, fine, perfect. Here, let me take her,” Doyoung said, sweetly, and stepped forward, taking the baby from Johnny, “and Jaehyun will, um, get you both something to drink, okay?” 

After being practically shooed from the nursery, Taeyong took a seat on the long sofa in the living room. Johnny followed but didn’t sit. He wandered over to the shelf on the wall with CDs and records and started flipping through them.

Taeyong was extremely nervous for some reason. He couldn’t even think of any explanations of why Doyoung and Jaehyun had behaved that way, but he knew he wasn’t going to like it...

Jaehyun brought them two glasses of water, as they’d both refused anything with alcohol. Johnny sat down on the sofa while Jaehyun perched on the edge of the coffee table facing them. 

“Alright, I know this is going to sound crazy, especially for you, Taeyong _hyung_ , but we think there may be a way to solve both of your problems.” 

Taeyong felt his stomach drop. 

🧸

When the elevator finally opened, Johnny raced past the front desk and out the door. He looked down the sidewalk both ways before catching a glimpse of Taeyong. He was walking pretty fast near the park down the street. Johnny, clutching a piece of clothing in a hand, sprinted after him, the end of long coat billowing behind him.

 _“I gotta to go—I need to go,”_ Taeyong had said, giving off an obvious distressed scent. Doyoung had told them that Taeyong would need a ride since it’s so late, so while Jaehyun stayed with Eunmi and Doyoung went to get the car from the parking garage, they tasked Johnny with stopping Taeyong from going too far.

Johnny caught up to him walking through the park. “Taeyong _ssi_ , wait!” 

Taeyong, startled, turned around. His large eyes exuded confusion and worry.

“You forgot your jacket,” Johnny huffed, handing the denim to Taeyong.

“Uh, thanks,” he said and immediately put it on. 

“Doyoung’s coming with his car.”

“Oh. Okay.” Taeyong looked lost, in a state of shock. He looked around and sat down on the closest bench, a few feet away.

Johnny plopped down on the other end of the bench, catching his breath. “I’m really sorry, that was incredibly awkward.”

“I certainly didn’t expect that this was how the day was going to go.”

“Yeah, me neither.” He was going to strangle Jaehyun the next time he sees him.

“That was so embarrassing.”

“I know.”

“I’m not a prostitute.”

Johnny held his hands up, defensively. “Whoa, I never said you were.”

“Okay, just so we're clear on that.” 

“Jesus. Of course. I don’t need a… a sex worker. It’s not about sex. In fact, as little sex as possible.” Was he rambling? He felt like he was rambling. He internally face-palmed. 

“So, how would that work? Turkey baster?” 

“Well, no, not exactly. It would have to, er, I would have to…”

“...Put it inside me?” Taeyong seemed to find Johnny’s hesitation at least a little amusing. The smallest stretch of his lips must have been the first time he smiled since they met.

“Yeah, that. It’s just, any other method might take longer to catch. It’s kind of time sensitive.”

“Okay, that’s not suspicious at all…”

Johnny laughed. “Yes, it’s weird, as Jaehyun put it.” Johnny’s smile faded and he felt reality pressing in on him again. “I know this is very unusual. I just, I think if I don’t do this now, I’ll regret it.”

Taeyong looked like he wanted to question Johnny, but instead he looked away after a moment. The chill in the air had Taeyong hugging his arms close to himself.

“I’ve never thought about having kids. I mean, I have but I didn’t think I ever would,” Taeyong confessed. He seemed so unsure, his voice softer now than when they were with the others. “I don’t think I’ve even, well, Doyoung’s baby is the first baby I’ve held.” 

“I think that was obvious,” Johnny tried to smother his grin. 

“Are you sure you’d want _me_? I mean,” Taeyong rushed to clarify when Johnny’s full attention snapped to him, “I know I’m not an average looking omega. I’m too broad,” he hugged his arms closer to his body, protectively, a hand brushing the black hair out of his face and then slid over his facial features. “My eyes are too—my face is—God, my nose… and I’m not soft like the other omegas at all, and I’m too old, way older than most—”

“Stop. Don’t...” 

Johnny waited until Taeyong looked up at him through the inky strands of hair that fell back in his face.

Johnny’s eyes softened. “I think you’re perfect.” 

He felt odd saying that to a practical stranger, but his chest tightened when Taeyong said those things about himself. “You’re not too old, I promise. I don’t know why you would even think that. I think any kid you’d have would be lucky to look like you. I mean, if you have one. Which you don’t have to have one. You don’t, if you don’t want—I’m just, uh.” Johnny really needed to stop prattling.

Taeyong looked out toward the playground across from them, bringing his knees to his chest and hugging his arms around them. Johnny couldn’t help but think how young Taeyong looked, even though they were the same age. Sitting back as well, Johnny put his hands in his coat pocket. He kinda wished he could take that confession back, but it was too late now. 

“Look, I’m not saying this to get you to say yes. I definitely understand if you tell me to fuck off. Really. I’d rather the surrogate be someone who’s interested in being one in the first place. I didn’t know they were going to spring this on me, much less surprise you with it too.” Johnny chuckled, if only to lighten the air between them. 

Conversationally, Johnny continued, “I only just talked about it with Jaehyun tonight. My lawyer’s going to writing up a contract and everything. I would want this to be completely professional. With rules and rights, everything, just like any other surrogacy. Which, like I said, I’ll find someone else, someone who knows what they’re getting themselves into. I just don’t want you to think I’m some weirdo—”

“Can I think about it? Like a few days? I know you’re on a time crunch, but I don’t want to say no just yet.”

Johnny blinked. That was unexpected. He didn’t think he’d say anything other than “hell no.” Again, Johnny wanted to reassure him that he could say no, that he could definitely find someone else, but he’d just be sounding like a broken record at this point. He had to trust that Taeyong honestly wanted to think about it.

“Yeah, of course. Here’s my card. Please, call anytime.”

🧸

Taeyong got the opportunity to finish his ice coffee, sitting at the window seat of the coffee shop near the dance studio, as Sicheng mentally digested the recap of the events of the previous night. He was still kind of embarrassed about the whole thing, but at the same time… what if…

“You know you won’t be able to dance, right?”

“That’s all you have to say?!” Taeyong whined. 

Sicheng laughed. “I don’t know what you want me to say, _hyung._ He’s willing to pay a lot of money for you to carry his baby for nine months.” He shrugged, “I can’t tell you what to do. I don’t know what _I_ would do if that was me. But, okay, well, let’s think of your options.”

“Basically, going back home or getting knocked up. Those are my options.” 

“Okay, forget that. Let’s say it was just a regular job. It’s guaranteed time,” he put up a pinky, “guaranteed pay,” he put up his ring finger, “wait, exactly how much did he say he’d pay?”

Taeyong bit his lip. He didn’t want the money alone to be the deciding factor. Obviously, it was important, but if he was committing to something for almost a year, he didn’t want to _hate_ it.

“If I have to sleep with this guy so he can get a baby and I can get paid, does that make me a sex worker?”

Sicheng choked on his coffee. “What in the—” he sputtered.

Taeyong really tried not to laugh but he found himself hiding the lower half of his face behind a napkin, giggling. 

Sicheng glanced around at the other patrons in the coffee shop but no one paid them any mind. 

“What have you got against sex workers?”

“Nothing!” Taeyong hissed.

“Uh-huh. So why does it matter? Sex work is a legitimate job. I’ve got plenty of students who come in specifically to learn dance for stripping or, y’know, other stuff.”

Taeyong thought about it. It really _didn’t_ matter. He didn’t know why he was hung up on that, he guessed he, along with practically everyone, was programmed to think negatively about that subject on instinct. 

“He said twenty million won for signing the contract, six million a month, and another twenty million at the end.”

Sicheng whistled. “He’s not playing around, is he?”

Taeyong shrugged. “He really wants a baby.”

“Yeah that’s odd, what’s up with that?”

“I didn’t ask, it’s not my business.”

“It kinda is…”

Taeyong ignored that. “He seems genuine. You should have seen him with Doyoung’s baby.”

“She has a name, _hyung.”_

Rolling his eyes, Taeyong continued, “I couldn’t sleep, I thought about this all night. I don’t want a baby at all, but being able to give that to someone else? I think I want to do it.” 

“Hm, and will it be hard to... _do it_?”

Taeyong scrunched up his face. “Gross, what?”

Laughing, Sicheng clarified, “I mean, is he easy on the eyes, y’know?

“Oh, well… he’s not terrible looking…? He’s…”

“Uh-huh, go on.”

Taeyong sighed. “He’s quite attractive, okay? He’s tall, in great shape, great hair, great face… I'm not too proud to admit that’s one of the reasons I didn’t automatically say no. But it’s not like anything’s gonna come from this, so don’t get any ideas.”

Sicheng feigned offense. “Hey, you said it, not me.”

🧸

“Alright. I’ll do it.” 

It was six in the evening and Johnny was had just gotten home from work when his phone had rung.

“Really? Are you sure?” 

Johnny thought about the tiny finger wrapped around his own and he held his breath. 

_Could it really be this easy?_

Taeyong simply hummed an affirmative. “I’m sure, really. “

 _Don’t get your hopes up, Johnny._ “I just want to make sure you’re 100%, because you won’t be able to quit halfway through.” 

“I won’t. I want to. So, why not? It’s only nine months. You’re really nice, Johnny. You deserve to have a kid.” He chuckled to himself. “And I do really need the money.” 

_Shit._

That last sentence was like someone dropped a bucket of ice on Johnny’s head. 

What is he doing? He wouldn’t want to take advantage of Taeyong’s situation just to get what he wants. Johnny didn’t know him well, and he didn’t seem like a pushover, but he didn’t want Taeyong to feel trapped, like he can’t say no to Johnny because he had to survive. And he definitely never wanted to be the type of person who throws money at people just to get what he wants. 

“Uh... hello? Johnny?”

“Yep, I’m still here.” Fuck, he couldn’t live with himself if he took advantage of this guy. “Taeyong? I can't let you do this. Look, I can get you another job. Any job, anything you want. I can set you up with an advance and everything—”

“Wait, wait. What are you talking about?”

Why did he think this was a good idea? Once again, he considered strangling Jaehyun for even recommending this.

“I know this isn’t something you want, something you’d never pick for yourself. I don’t want you to regret doing this.”

“What?! I won’t, I promise—Look, I know what I’m doing.” He sighed. “Can we talk in person?” 

Leaning against his car, waiting for Taeyong to come down from his apartment, Johnny worked through what he was going to say. He figured he’d just have to explain again that he could find someone else. That he would definitely help him out, immediately if he needed anything. However much he wanted. Johnny felt horrible for putting the guy in this situation.

Taeyong was wrapped in a heavy black sweater when he arrived at Johnny’s car. 

“So, what’s wrong?”

Johnny was confused. “What?”

“What’s wrong with me?”

“ _What?_ ”

“You said I was perfect. Why don’t you want me anymore?” Taeyong didn't look angry, just concerned.

Johnny’s heart dropped. 

“Nothing!” he said, quickly. “There’s nothing wrong with you.

“So, why don’t you want me?”

Johnny ran his fingers through his hair. “It’s not that, Taeyong. It’s not that I don’t want you. Trust me. It’s definitely the opposite of that. You _are_ perfect, I meant that.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. I swear, as soon as I decide on something, anything, that I want for myself, it feels like the whole world is against me,” Taeyong said, more to himself than Johnny. 

“I’m not against you, Taeyong. I’ll get you another job—”

“I don’t want you to get me another job and I definitely don’t want pity. I _want_ to have your baby.” 

“...You do?”

Taeyong rolled his eyes. “ _Yes_. I said that already… Johnny, I’m never going to want kids. I’m never going to have kids on my own. I have a whole working uterus here not going to be used and you want a baby. Doyoung and Jaehyun are right, it makes sense.” 

“Alright. I got it. I just thought you might’ve felt pressured and I really don’t want you to regret it halfway through.” 

“I won’t. I know what this entails and how long it’s gonna take. 

“Okay, you want to do this, and I want you. Settled?”

Taeyong nodded with a small smile.

Johnny found himself grinning along, his stomach unclenching with relief. 

He was going to have a baby.

“Thank you, Taeyong.”

🧸


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the full chapter of sex but that's what the story's about my friend!
> 
> [Edit] I wasn't happy with this so I went back and edited a few things. Nothing big, just grammatical and descriptive. So it'll be easier to read.

Two weeks later, after both men got clean bills of health and promising conception chances from a fertility specialist, as recommended by Johnny’s lawyer, they went to see said lawyer to finalize the surrogacy contract.

Doyoung insisted on giving Taeyong a ride to the meeting. He thought his friend still felt bad for putting him in that awkward position, even though Taeyong told him it was alright. Doyoung had planned to go shopping with Eunmi anyway and would pick him up after. Taeyong couldn’t help but think how much he loved his friend.

Taeyong was shown to a small conference room where Johnny and Moon Taeil were waiting. Taeil represented 127 Records, Taeyong learned, but was also Johnny’s very good friend and personally represented him as well. Meeting Taeil was an unexpected experience. When he thought “lawyer” he imagined a stuffy, arrogant guy, one of those who frequently look down on Taeyong. Like that man from the medical center...

Well, Taeil was incredibly kind and soft spoken, so much so that Taeyong couldn’t imagine him arguing a case in court. Though, he was very professional and didn’t bat an eye at the topic at hand. 

After the cordial introductions, they got right to business. “This shouldn’t take too long, I already have a preliminary outline of what should go in this contract, but we’ll be discussing the finer details.”

The first item they covered was payment for services. How much, when, and where funds were to be deposited. 

The next topic was duties. Johnny and Taeyong agreed on meeting three times a week, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for optimal results. 

The rights and responsibilities were fairly basic and kinda boring, but Taeyong tried his best to pay close attention. 

Taeyong had the right to end the arrangement at any time before pregnancy but will not receive any more funds. He might even be liable to pay back funds as well, depending on circumstances. Taeyong had the right to privacy, anything that didn’t involve the potential fetus was his business. He had the right to stop relations on a particular visit if he felt uncomfortable, Johnny wanted to be very clear on that. 

The responsibility included: maintaining general health, such as eating healthy, taking vitamins; regular prenatal visits and informing Johnny of anything that may be relevant for him to know, as the father, as well as allowing him to attend doctor visits if he decides to.

Taeyong could also not be intimate with anyone else for the duration of the arrangement. _Like that ever would be a problem_ , he thought.

Last thing for the contract was going over what a broken contract would entail. Things like dropping all contact, or any kind of manipulation or coercion. Anything illegal. 

Everything was simple and to be expected.

“Alright, we have medical history from the doctor but there are a few things to verify." They went over his stats, birth, family medical history, and then Taeyong’s reproductive history.

Taeil asked about suppressants, which Taeyong stopped right after the doctor’s visit. He wasn’t on birth control, and he hadn’t had a heat since that first year of college. 

Thoughts of a sickly-sweet voice telling Taeyong to let them help flitted in the front of his brain. He shook the memory, staring at the table. 

“You went to college?” Johnny asks, intrigued.

Taeyong bit at the skin on the inside of his cheek, nervously. That was something he really didn’t want to talk about. “Not very long after that,” he said, shortly. “So, would we wait until I have my heat?”

Johnny answered that one. “No. We should start as soon as possible.”

Taeil continued. “So, have you had sex before?”

“Yes,” Taeyong said quickly.

“Okay,” Taeil referred back to his notes, “but no pregnancy, no miscarriages, yadda yadda yadda… Everything looks good. If you don’t have any questions, I’ll get this all printed out for you.

“Oh, one last thing. It’s not going to be in the contract, because it’s something you’ll need to work out on your own. But you should definitely talk about,” he coughed, “intercourse. I mean, the details of how. Restrictions, do’s and don'ts, likes and dislikes, and so on. And while that’s all left up to you, I strongly suggest you keep it as professional as possible.”

Taeyong frowned, confusedly. Johnny felt the same way apparently because he asked, “Why’s that?”

Taeil settled back in his chair again. “Well, from what I know from unrelated cases, the more you two are… _together_ , the more attachments you’ll have toward one another. You both know you’re trying to get pregnant. Subconsciously, you’ll think you’re trying to become mates. Emotions will form. I suggest not hanging out, or even being friends, when you’re not, er, together.”

“Oh, okay.”

Johnny nodded as well. “Makes sense.”

Then they all stood and Taeil shook Johnny’s hand. “Good luck, man.” And then he shook Taeyong’s. “It was great to meet you. I know he really appreciates it, and I do too. I’m tired of dealing with all his moping at not ‘having a purpose in life’,” Taeil laughed.

“Hey! I’m not that bad,” Johnny pouted.

Taeil arched an eyebrow. “You really are,” he said, backing out the conference room door, leaving the two men alone.

“So.”

“So.”

“I’m not sure where to start.”

“Yeah, this is certainly a new experience for me, too. But let’s just jump in. Where would you feel comfortable meeting up, my place, yours? Both, even? Or neither, I can get a hotel or something.”

The hotel idea put Taeyong off immediately. And he didn’t really want to do this in his own apartment. “Yours, if you don’t mind.” They agreed on a specific time, and Johnny insisted on taking Taeyong home afterwards, since he might not be up for a bus ride back home that late, so Taeyong insisted that he finds his own way there. 

They worked like that for a while, back and forth, give and take. Johnny didn’t want Taeyong to do or worry about anything but Taeyong wanted to be able to do things for himself. 

The sex part of the discussion was, of course, uncomfortable for Taeyong. Honestly, he’d been thinking about it nonstop. What it would be like to have sex with an alpha in general, what it’d be like to have sex with Johnny. But this wasn’t just regular sex, he had to remind himself. This was ‘real quick, get pregnant and that’s it’ type of sex. This was ‘no emotion, no attachment’ sex. 

While he had been with someone before, it was once and a long time ago. He didn’t really know who he should behave or what to do or not do. They got through the whole discussion with the basic idea of what to expect of their meetings. Both were going to prepare themselves separately. Johnny would only touch Taeyong when he was close to release. Like he had mentioned before, as little sex as possible. When they were untied, Taeyong would get ready and leave. No sex talk, no kissing, no stimulating each other. 

“Is there anything else?” When Taeyong didn’t answer, trying to rack his brain for any other stipulations, Johnny said, “How about when we meet tonight, we can talk through if anything comes up as we go?” 

“Yes, I’m sorry. I don’t really know what else—”

Johnny’s brow worried. He got up from his side of the table, walked around it, and crouched down next to Taeyong. 

“Taeyong, it’s okay, I understand. And you’re giving me this enormous gift. You can want whatever, say whatever. Please, don’t be afraid to tell me anything, or ask for anything. If you need help or don’t know what you want, I will help you. Okay?”

Taeyong looked into Johnny’s eyes. They were light, honeyed from the sun shining through the windows. There was nothing but honesty there. Taeyong stopped chewing on his lip, which he didn’t even realize when he had started. 

“Okay.”

When Taeyong hopped in the passenger’s seat of Doyoung’s car, he felt more relieved than anything. It seemed like the hard part was out of the way. 

“Do you forgive me yet?” 

Taeyong looked back to the baby in her car seat, finding her sound asleep. Then he covered Doyoung’s mouth with his hand and pinched his arm as hard as he could. 

Ignoring Doyoung’s muffled yell, Taeyong said, “Now I do.” 

Sitting in Johnny’s apartment later that evening, Taeyong wasn’t as anxious as he thought he’d be. He was more awestruck at the apartment than anything. He’d been to Doyoung’s condo plenty of times and he knew Jaehyun was a famous solo idol. So, sure it was expensive as hell and maybe larger than necessary, but it was very homey. Comfortable.

Johnny’s apartment was different. It was _sleek._ The bright white walls had black wood accents, the windows were ceiling to floor on both corner walls, looking out over the bright lights of the city. There was so much _space_. It looked like an interior decorator lived here. Taeyong didn’t want to touch anything for fear of dirtying it up. 

“Want anything to drink?” 

Startled, Taeyong turned to Johnny, returning from putting up Taeyong’s coat. “N-no, thank you.” 

“Okay,” Johnny said with a small, polite smile, “wanna get started?”

Taeyong’s heart jumped to his throat. Ah, there's the anxiety. He didn’t forget why he was here but now it seemed real. He nodded and Johnny showed him to his bedroom. 

Again, black and white were everywhere, including the black headboard and white linen. 

“You can get ready in here, or the bathroom through there,” Johnny pointed to the door off the side of the room. “I’ll be in the other bathroom. It might-I might be awhile.” There was a blush on his cheeks, Taeyong noted. 

The bathroom was top-to-bottom marble, _holy hell_. The glass encased shower was large, about the size of Taeyong’s whole bathroom in his apartment. There was a tub, also, which Taeyong could probably fit in completely without having to bend his legs at all. 

He looked at himself in the massive mirror above the sink. Okay, time to get started, he thought. 

Taeyong knew Johnny was most likely going to be big. He was an alpha, after all. Not that he’d known personally, but he had an idea. So, he had to do this thoroughly or it was going to hurt. He unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down to his thighs, along with his underwear. After shoving a finger in his mouth and licking enough spit on it, he brought that finger to his ass. This was going to be a first, actually stretching himself. He’s put fingers down there before, but without any intention of making space for something other than a regular, beta-sized dick. 

Just like any other time, he did not like it much. It wasn’t sexy, it didn’t feel good, it was just, in there. He tried to think arousing thoughts to help get himself slicked up while his finger moved in and out, this way and that way. 

Making out with a senior in the wooded area behind their high school was the first thing that popped in his mind. Jongin was two years ahead of him and honestly, he felt lucky to have the alpha’s attention. Until later he realized Jongin was also interested in every other omega in the school… 

Okay, maybe not that memory. 

Taeyong tried to think about porn he’d watched, but nothing incredibly sexy was coming to mind. 

As his one finger became two, his mind wandered to how Johnny was doing. He was probably leaning up against the wall in the other bathroom, Taeyong imagined, with his zipper down and his hand in his pants, touching himself. He’d probably have to take himself all the way out of his pants when he got too hard. Taeyong pictured the man spit in his hand to slick up his dick. Then he thought, what if Johnny was thinking about _him_?

Fuck. 

Taeyong’s hole was significantly wetter now. He added another finger to help stretch. While the feeling wasn’t terribly unappealing, the angle still felt a little awkward. He adjusted as best as he could and continued on. 

What was Johnny doing now, he wondered. The Johnny in Taeyong’s head was biting his plump bottom lip and pulling on himself faster now. Taeyong hadn’t thought about it before, but now he was wondering what Johnny looked like under his clothes. He bet he works out regularly. He looked like the type to eat super healthily and go to the gym daily. His chest was probably full and tight, his long legs were most likely toned, his arms, god he could probably pick Taeyong up so easily—

What the fuck was he doing?

Taeyong needed to stop. He pulled his hand out from between his legs and sagged against the marble sink. This was ridiculous. He shouldn’t be thinking about Johnny like that. That had to be against the rules, right? 

A knock at the bedroom door broke through the silence in the room. Taeyong didn’t realize it had been that long. He wiped his hand on his jeans as he pulled them up and went to the bedroom to open the door. Immediately, he turned and walked up to the bed without looking at Johnny. 

Taeyong heard the door shut and then the lights of the room dimmed. He felt rather than heard Johnny come up behind him. “Are you good?”

“Mmhm.”

A pause. “Are you ready?”

Taeyong nodded a little too forcefully. “Yeah.”

Another hesitation, and then Johnny’s voice was different, deeper, slower. “Do you want to lean over the bed or lay on it?” 

Fuck, he didn’t think about that. He tried to think which would get the job done faster. But of course, he didn’t know. Maybe it would be more comfortable on the bed for Johnny. 

“On.” He pulled off his jeans and climbed on the bed and sat back on his heels. There was some fabric rustling and then the bed behind him was pressed in by Johnny’s weight. All too soon, he was directly behind Taeyong. 

Taeyong’s heartbeat was off the charts.

“Is it okay if I touch you, to put you into a position?” 

Taeyong nodded again, not trusting himself to speak more than a word. 

The first touch, to his hip, had him jump nervously. 

“Relax, okay,” Johnny murmured.

“‘Kay.” He tried to take deep breaths. 

Before doing anything else, Johnny said near his ear, “Remember that you can stop at any time, okay?”

“Yup.” 

Johnny was so patient with him, he could cry. He mentally steeled himself and then turned his head slightly, almost able to see Johnny out of his peripheral but not quite. “Alright, I’m ready.” 

With the hand at his hip and flat palm on his upper back, Taeyong was pressed down to the mattress. He reached his hands back and tugged his underwear down to the bottom of his butt. The cold air made his wet hole contract and expand, and he shivered a bit.

God, this was it.

Keeping that one hand on his hip, Johnny pulled his other hand away from his back and then Taeyong could feel the blunt head of his cock against his hole. He tried not to tense, but he couldn’t help it. 

It felt _gigantic_.

Johnny didn’t press in, however. He just moved the head up and down. He was wet, probably lubed up. Both that and Taeyong’s slick eased the way as Johnny pushed the tip into Taeyong. 

Instinctively, Taeyong tensed again, his body itching to move away from the intrusion. 

Fuck, it felt like his whole _everything_ was being pulled apart. 

“Relax,” Johnny murmured. 

Easier said than done, Taeyong thought, but willed his muscles to calm.

It didn’t help that Johnny was not moving. Taeyong was desperate for Johnny to either push in or remove himself completely. Gritting his teeth, he decided to push back against Johnny, trying to get him to continue. 

He got the idea. 

As Johnny slid himself incredibly slowly into Taeyong, he felt a tearing, painful sensation with the pressure. God, it hurt. It hurt so bad. Taeyong’s eyes stung but he shut them tight to prevent himself from crying. The thumb on his waist was rubbing him soothingly. He tried to concentrate on that.

“Breathe.”

Did he stop breathing? He did, he realized, and sucked in a breath quickly. He had mostly smothered his face on the blanket of the bed, but he still got the air he needed. 

“Keep going,” Taeyong got out through his clenched teeth, more calmly than he felt. He wanted this to be done already. 

It felt like a whole hour later when Johnny bottomed out. “I’m gonna move alright?” His voice was weird, Taeyong thought. Strained. Was he hurting too? Maybe Taeyong was way too tight for this…

He _had_ to relax. As Johnny slowly moved out and then back in, Taeyong really concentrated on his breathing. Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale, just as he would do before dancing. He tried his best to ignore the throbbing pain in his rear and let his mind envision his muscles starting with his shoulders to get them to loosen up individually. His arms, his wrists, his hands. 

He hadn’t realized he had the blanket clenched desperately in his grasp. He kept the blanket lightly in his hands, just for something to hold onto, and then relaxed his fingers as well.

This made him feel a little better, a little less stiff. He started again at his toes and ankles, but couldn't go any higher, as he was holding himself up with his legs. He started over with his shoulders and down until he finally felt relaxed enough. 

“Better?” 

Taeyong was a little embarrassed Johnny had noticed. He unclenched his jaw, now sore. “Yeah, I’m good.”

“‘Kay, I’m almost done, almost there.” Johnny grunted and then started pressing in a little faster each time, a little harder. 

Taeyong just let his mind wander. Every now and then, he’d feel Johnny brush against something inside of him that he hadn’t felt before, probably because of the earlier pain. It had his nerves in that area tingling in a good way. 

This wasn’t so bad, he thought. Until he felt the knot. 

“Oh fuck, oh fuck.” 

_Ow ow ow_. 

That time Taeyong did try to pull away on instinct but Johnny held his waist tight with both hands now. 

The base of the dick inside of him grew and grew. Taeyong’s vision blacked out and he felt tears running across his face, soaking the blanket under his cheek. 

“I’m almost t-there,” Johnny hissed as he pressed inside Taeyong completely, his bottom feeling red-hot pain that spread _everywhere_.

The rest was a blur for Taeyong. Johnny had stilled and he felt a liquid fill his insides. He felt himself being rearranged, asked if he was okay. He didn’t know if he answered or not. 

🧸

Johnny felt so bad after coming down from his orgasm. He tried to maintain a distance from Taeyong’s body, obviously except for where they were tied. He had maneuvered both of them to their sides, so he leaned over Taeyong as much as he could without moving him. Taeyong's face was blank, his eyes were staring off ahead of him. He had tear tracks on his face... 

Shit.

Looking around, he tried to find something that could wipe Taeyong’s face, but he couldn’t move too far. He carefully, and one-handedly, pulled off his t-shirt and reached around Taeyong and began gently wiping the tears. 

Taeyong had his eyes closed now but Johnny didn’t think he was sleeping. He continued to wipe as much as he could, until Taeyong’s hand curled around the cloth and held it to his face. 

“I’m sorry,” Johnny whispered.

The car ride to Taeyong’s was incredibly strained. Johnny was afraid to say anything for fear of upsetting him. Taeyong spent a long time in the bathroom after and Johnny wanted nothing more than to go in and take care of him. But that wasn’t how this works, right...

When they pulled up outside Taeyong’s building and Johnny put his car in park, that was the first time Taeyong spoke since they left Johnny’s.

“I’m really sorry.”

 _What?_

Staring out the passenger window, Taeyong went on, “I messed up, didn’t I?”

“No, of course not! _I’m_ sorry, I’m so sorry, Taeyong, I should have helped you.” 

“I just—I should have done a better job getting ready…”

Johnny’s chest tightened painfully. “Hey,” he waited until Taeyong looked at him, “you didn’t do anything wrong. _I_ hurt you, you don’t get to say sorry, that’s my job,” he said that last part with a playful, teasing, hoping Taeyong won’t be upset with himself. 

And it worked, the smallest smile appeared on his lips and he looked at Johnny directly and nodded. 

“Are you sure you still want to do this?”

“Yes,” Taeyong said quickly, still keeping eye contact. 

“Alright, how about next time, hm...” he thought about it, “I can help you prep, okay? I know we said no touching or anything, but it might be easier for you. Also, I think maybe it’ll help if you come ahead of time.”

Taeyong looked down blushing. “O-okay, if you think so.”

_How cute._

Despite Taeyong wanting to continue right away, Johnny told him that they’ll skip a session and continue next time. He still felt incredibly guilty that he hurt Taeyong. That’s the last thing he’d ever want to do. He was so stupid; he should have anticipated Taeyong not realizing how much prep he needed. Everyone else Johnny had been with hadn’t had a problem with it, but they all had experience with alphas. Taeyong had mentioned he’d had sex before, but Johnny assumed it was with an alpha.

The next couple of days, Johnny focused on completing a few details on the remaining tracks left on Jaehyun’s album. He had gone through cover submissions from a design company they use but nothing felt right so far. The lyrics and acknowledgements still had to be submitted to the company they used for print. And Jaehyun’s promotional photos still needed to be edited, so he emailed their photographer about that. They still had plenty of time before the release, but he wanted to make sure everything was perfect.

Even though Johnny liked being called a producer, he wasn’t just that. When it came to Jaehyun especially, he needed to be a part of the whole production process. He wanted nothing but the best for his friend. 

Johnny had been visiting his father almost every day. On days he couldn’t make the drive, they would FaceTime. Other than of course wanting to see his father, he had to make sure that he was taking his medication and eating regularly.

He was lucky he had so much to keep him busy or he’d lose his mind thinking about Taeyong, thinking about the next time they meet. He was as nervous as now he was leading up to the first time. He was also lucky he had a steady control of his emotions. He probably would have freaked Taeyong out with how nervous he was that night. 

Finally, Friday evening came and there was a knock at his door. Johnny served them both wine, and they sat on the sofa as they drank and talked. He figured this would be the best way to put Taeyong at ease and Taeyong agreed. 

Johnny learned about how Taeyong met Doyoung, when he started dancing, where his family was from. It was easy to see that the topic of his time at college was not something Taeyong wanted to discuss, so he didn’t ask about that.

In turn, Johnny told him a little about growing up in Chicago and then moving here, meeting Jaehyun, making music. 

Soon enough, they were in Johnny’s bedroom and Johnny stood at the wall across from the end of his bed. There was music playing from a speaker on a shelf on the wall, something slow and quiet, just enough to fill the room. 

Taeyong had just returned from the bathroom and stood beside the bed. Taeyong had expressed uncertainty at what he should be doing, so Johnny had told him he’d walk him through it, verbally.

“Should I—Can I take off my clothes?”

“Of course, if you’d like.”

Taeyong faced away from Johnny and took off his shirt and pants unceremoniously. He hesitated before sitting on the bed and shifting to the center. 

“Alright, are you ready?”

Taeyong nodded and said, “Yes.”

“Okay, lay back with your head on your pillows. Now, just relax. Pretend I’m not here. Can you do that?” 

Another nod. Taeyong closed his eyes. Johnny watched the rise and fall of his bare chest. He stayed silent after that, watching Taeyong intently. The man on his bed stretched like a cat and then his hands travelled down his body, one hand immediately reaching inside his boxer-briefs. 

Johnny watched Taeyong touching himself with hooded eyes. Yeah, this was way better than alone. This was almost exactly what he had pictured the other day when he was jerking off. Taeyong, in Johnny's bed, touching himself. 

The only reason he didn’t flat out refuse Jaehyun’s suggestion for Taeyong to be his surrogate was due to how obviously attractive he was. Johnny had given him every out, but Taeyong didn’t take it and he was indescribably thankful for that. Taeyong _wanted_ to do this. He wanted to do this for Johnny...

Johnny fisted his hands tightly. He didn’t want to jerk off with him, then it might have gotten too weird. So, he just watched. He watched the blush dusting his body go down past his chest, he watched him move his legs restlessly, he watched Taeyong’s other hand clutching the blanket by his thigh, he watched everything.

He watched as Taeyong’s hand began moving erratically in his underwear, and his breath practically came out in puffs. He was so close, Johnny knew. God, he wished more than anything that he could help him come. That he could see his face up close. That he could kiss—

Fuck, Johnny was insanely hard right now. 

Taeyong was just as quiet as he had been the other night. It had been unusual that someone was so quiet when he was inside of them. Usually they were too loud, to be honest. But Taeyong hadn’t been trying to get off, so he thought maybe that was why.

Except now, Taeyong was biting his lip, holding back anything that would let Johnny know he was enjoying himself. Suddenly, Johnny wanted to hear him be loud, scream, moan, anything—

Stop it, Johnny. He needed to get out of his head. He focused on Taeyong’s movements instead of daydreaming about the man in front of him. 

When Taeyong came, Johnny felt his dick jump painfully in his pants. Taeyong’s mouth fell open, a ghost of a moan on his lips. The muscles on his chest and solar plexus spazzed a few times and then Johnny saw the wetness bloom in two places on his underwear, one from his cock, the other from his hole. 

God, he was soaking wet.

Johnny’s nails were biting into his palms as he waited for Taeyong to come down. Finally, Taeyong’s whole body went limp.

“Mmm, Johnny?”

“Yeah, I’m here.” He couldn’t help the deep tone of his voice. 

“You were right, I feel great.” Then, he giggled softly. Johnny wondered if that was because of the orgasm or the wine.

“Johnny?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you open me up?”

 _Fuck_. “Yeah, I can do that.”

And he did. With Taeyong turned away from him, on his knees and chest flat on the bed, he touched Taeyong so carefully, not wanting to hurt or scare him. He had to take care, be in control of himself, because his inner alpha wanted nothing more than to tear him apart. 

Despite being lax from the orgasm, Taeyong was super sensitive and responsive. He still didn’t vocalize anything, but Johnny didn’t take that as a sign of his inability. He just figured that’s how Taeyong was. His body did the talking for him. As long as his face didn’t show any pain, Johnny guessed he was doing pretty well.

Being so close to Taeyong, being three fingers deep inside of him, stretching him, Johnny could smell him so clearly. His scent was sweet, cloyingly so. It was definitely more potent than the other day, which had been mixed with the slight sourness of trepidation. Now, though, the sweet smell was all around Johnny, encompassing his entire being. He wanted nothing more than to taste the source of the smell directly. 

The side of Taeyong’s face that Johnny could see was soft, lax, other than his eyebrows drawn together. He specifically avoided his prostate, not knowing whether Taeyong felt comfortable to come again. 

Johnny was barely holding on. He was desperate to be inside of Taeyong, to fill him all the way up. By the time Johnny felt Taeyong was opened up as much as possible, he removed his fingers from him. 

“You ready for me, Yong?” 

Taeyong, face still plastered to the blanket, slurred a bit when he answered. “Yesh.” Then, he wiggled his hips, invitingly. 

Johnny didn’t know how he was going to survive this man. 

🧸

Shopping was now becoming one of Taeyong’s favorite things. His landlord, crotchety as he was, had been satisfied to get back pay, current rent, and a month in advance. All his bills were paid and his fridge had never been fuller. While _how_ he came upon these new funds was unusual, he couldn’t deny that it felt good to not stress. 

“Do you think Johnny would like this for you?” Held in Sicheng’s hands was a red, lace bodysuit.

Face as red as the lingerie in front of him, Taeyong pushed his friend into the clothing rack behind him. “You really are the worst friend. That’s really where you disappeared to?” 

Sicheng hung up the piece of clothing on the rack he was thrown into. “You’re no fun. And no, I was looking for something for a hot date, but they don’t have anything that’s _me_ ,” he pouted. 

Taeyong didn’t want to know what that meant. He continued on, looking through jeans on the tables. “So, who’s this hot date?” 

Sicheng shrugged. “Someone Jaehyun brought to the studio. They’re working on a duo or something for one of his new songs. Anyway, he’s cute, he’s an omega, and he speaks Chinese, so. I’m on board,” he laughed.

“Good luck, man,” Taeyong said genuinely. His friend didn’t date too often but he did see a lot of people. It was nice to see this little spark in his eyes. 

With a few bags under his arms, they left the shopping center and had lunch. It was early enough but Taeyong didn’t want to go home yet. That’s when Sicheng, as a suggestion of what to do next, asked Taeyong an interesting question. 

“Hm... What was something you always wanted to do or get before, if you had the money for it?” 

Taeyong didn’t have to think too hard about it. Whenever he looked at fashion magazines for art inspiration, or seeing the latest idol news, he always wondered if he could pull it off…

Looking at Sicheng mischievously, he told him exactly what he wanted.

When Taeyong knocked on Johnny’s door for the next visit, he felt a slight apprehension he hadn’t felt in a while, since they started meeting up less than two weeks ago. What if Johnny didn’t like it? He didn’t do this for Johnny, of course. He felt amazing in his new clothes and new look when he saw himself in the mirror before coming over. But he still cared about what Johnny thought…

Johnny just stared at him when he opened the door. “Wow,” he eventually said. His eyes looked him down and up and back down again. “Wow.”

Relieved at his reaction, Taeyong laughed. “You already said that. Are you going to let me in?”

“Oh! Yeah, yes, please come in.” 

Taeyong didn’t think he’d ever seen Johnny so flustered. Adorable...

They drank wine and talked about their week—well Taeyong mostly talked, Johnny was curiously reserved. Taeyong talked about the latest art project he'd been working on.

Afterward, they moved to the bedroom as normal. The lights were low and the music was soft. Taeyong was comfortable in this room now, it wasn’t as cold and lifeless as was his first impression. The room smelled distinctly of Johnny, but now he could smell hints of himself. It was nice.

He stopped by Johnny’s full-length mirror by his wardrobe and inspected himself. He had on tight black jeans, a white dress shirt with three buttons undone had been tucked into the front of his pants. His new black coat was thrown over the sofa in the other room and his new boots were by the front door. 

Johnny came to stand behind him, looking in the mirror as well. “So, what made you decide on pink?” 

Taeyong grinned and ran a hand through his freshly dyed pink hair. It had been styled up and back, out of his forehead, thanks to his new favorite people at the salon Sicheng and he visited earlier. 

“Do you like it?”

Johnny simply nodded, his lips pressed together tightly. 

“I don’t know, I just thought it was cute, like candy.”

Taeyong had his eyes closed and was concentrating on getting himself off. He was laying on his back in the center of the bed. One hand was wrapped around his dick and the other had two fingers in his hole, moving deliberately. It wasn’t that he was having a hard time, it was just taking a little longer than any time previous. And he was kind of craving attention. 

“Johnnnnny,” he whined.

Johnny, leaning against the wall watching him, stepped forward and planted a knee on the bed. “Hey, what’s wrong, Yongie? You’re doing so well,” he said, his voice soothing and deep. 

Taeyong pouted. “Can you help?” He reached down and removed the underwear that had been around his thighs. “Can you touch me?”

“‘Course.” 

Johnny had situated himself between Taeyong’s spread knees. His hole was already wet, he knew, but it was aching to be filled and his own fingers were not enough. Taeyong continued to move his hand on his hard cock while his other arm stretched over his head. 

The first touch of Johnny’s fingers to his hole had him shiver in anticipation. He felt the fingers rub on the outside of his hole and then pushed in, one, two, and three. He moved his fingers in and around, working Taeyong open. On one pass, Johnny pressed against Taeyong’s prostate, forcing him to bite his lip to prevent him from moaning aloud. 

“Hey, why do you do that? Why are you so quiet all the time?” 

“I-I don’t know. It’s...embarrassing.” Conversing while Johnny had his fingers inside of him was also embarrassing but he didn’t mention that.

Johnny hummed, continuing to press inside of him, avoiding that specific spot for the time being.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed, Yongie, I want to hear you. It tells me I’m doing a good job.”

Taeyong didn’t think about that. He peeked at Johnny through heavy eyelids. The extremely aroused look he was giving Taeyong didn’t make him think Johnny was lying. 

He nodded.

But it was easier said than done. He couldn’t just will away his unease.

Johnny, as always, was so patient and helpful.

Halfway on top of Taeyong, his cock pressing so far into him, Johnny whispered in his ear that he didn’t have to be loud. That he could just start off by telling Johnny how he feels. 

“Feels good,” he whispered back. “Real good. Mmmm.” Even though he already got off earlier and didn't feel like he was going to come again, it still felt nice.

“There you go.” Johnny buried his face in Taeyong’s neck, just smelling his skin, as he pressed even harder inside Taeyong. 

🧸

The dance studio where Doyoung attended was participating in some sort of event, Johnny didn’t know. He just knew that he was invited as Jaehyun’s guest. It was a weekend, which meant no plans with Taeyong, and he didn’t have any other plans besides working from home, so he agreed.

Doyoung had been working hard on springing back from the pregnancy and childbirth, Jaehyun told him. He was so proud of his mate. 

Johnny tried not to sigh too wistfully.

There were fancy chairs all along the edge of a raised platform in the center. The seats were filled with what looked like reporters and idols and models. He didn’t realize it was that important…

In between some sort of fashion show, a dance group would perform, a politician would speak, other things were happening. Johnny just couldn’t focus on that. This really wasn’t his type of thing. He was subtly scrolling through his phone when Jaehyun elbowed him. 

“They’re almost on, you’re gonna like it,” he said, practically buzzing with excitement. "I've seen them practice, they're really good."

The spotlight highlighted the stage where the group was standing, about seven people. The audience was just as excited as Jaehyun, photographers were sitting up straight, models were whispering to each other. He knew from Jaehyun that Doyoung’s studio was owned by a well-known classical dancer. As well as Doyoung being well-known from his relationship with Jaehyun. 

Unfortunately, all that didn’t stop Johnny from checking the time on his watch. He was wondering how much longer this would be and started to zone out when he spotted a tuft of pink behind the other dancers on stage. 

He did a double-take, and yes, there was Taeyong, on stage with the other dancers, getting into place. He wore dark, low rise pants with a prominent white belt emphasizing his tiny waist, and topped with a slim, dark suit jacket. But what pulled his eye and made his heart thud was the white, lace cropped shirt he wore under the jacket. 

_Jesus._

The others wore the same style and colors, but nothing as revealing. Not to mention that pink hair, which alone made him stand out.

The group was performing to a fast-paced but sensual song. That really didn’t help Johnny’s situation. Taeyong’s waist and tight stomach were drawing him in, it was hard to look at anything else. Except when the jacket fell to the side at one point and his dusky pink nipple could be seen through the lace.

 _Jesus Christ_.

About halfway through, each other the group had a solo part and when Taeyong’s turn came on, there was a lot more commotion in the audience. Johnny looked around at everyone. Their eyes were locked on to Taeyong’s every move. 

And with reason. The way he moved was indescribable. He flowed like water and defied gravity. The others were good, especially the leader. But no one was Taeyong.

Jaehyun half whispered in his ear, “I told you, you’d like it.”

Both Doyoung and Jaehyun hated Johnny.

They must have, since they volunteered Johnny to drive Taeyong home. Jaehyun, the sneaky bastard, had innocently decided they had to hurry home to get to Eunmi and that Johnny didn’t have anything to do, “soooooo...” 

He was going to kill his best friend. 

Johnny was sure Jaehyun had seen the look in his eyes when he was watching Taeyong dancing. When their dance was over, he had glanced over at his friend, who looked like a goddamn cheshire cat. Johnny tried to ignore him, to play it off that he wasn’t lusting after his surrogate. His extremely attractive surrogate. 

Extremely attractive and can move like a sex demon. 

Johnny was sort of sleeping with the guy, how could he have missed that.

Taeyong was snuggled up in his jacket in Johnny’s car but was enthusiastic about the performance. When Johnny told him that he didn’t realize Taeyong performed, Taeyong told him it was the first time. He had performed in front of small groups in competitions, of course. He did take both art and dance in his high school. But never a crowd like that, with people taking his photo and everything.

Johnny asked him why he didn’t dance full time, he was obviously good at it. But Taeyong said it was just for fun. He didn’t think he could do it as a full-time job. 

When Johnny stopped at a stoplight, he turned to Taeyong.

“You were really amazing tonight, Yongie.” 

Taeyong stared back with those huge round eyes. “Really?”

“Mmhm. There was no one else on that stage who looked as good as you.”

Taeyong’s lips parted, like he was going to say something, but didn’t. Even under that jacket, Johnny could tell his chest was rising and falling with intensity. 

He also didn’t have to look down at himself to know his breathing was heightened as well. 

Johnny swallowed, he couldn’t stop focusing on Taeyong’s lips and that little mark just beneath the bottom one, and how much he’d like to taste it. To taste him. He’s thought about it a lot recently, but there’s no way he’d do anything Taeyong didn’t want. It was Taeyong who expressly said no kissing…

The light changing snapped Johnny out of... whatever that was. He started driving again, trying to ignore the person in his passenger seat. Although that was a problem since Taeyong had not turned away from him. 

“Hey, Johnny. Can you pull over there?” 

Johnny looked to where Taeyong pointed. It was an empty parking lot with all the surrounding buildings closed and their lights off, even half the parking lot lights. When he was able to get his heart out of his throat, he said, “Yeah, okay.”

As soon as he put the car in park, Taeyong reached over and turned the key, shutting off the ignition. 

“Hey, Johnny.”

“Mmhm?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Johnny didn’t answer, he brought his face close to Taeyong’s and nodded, letting him lead the way.

His lips were so soft and warm on his. They simply kissed, a press of lips on lips, mouths slightly opened. God, they shouldn’t be doing this.

“We shouldn’t do this,” Johnny murmured, surprising himself. 

“I know,” Taeyong said, continuing kissing Johnny’s lips. Taeyong sucked at Johnny’s top lip, allowing Johnny to suck at his bottom lip in turn.

The air in the car was getting thick, with their breath and now with the growing arousal. Johnny was intoxicated with it, the mix of them together. He never wanted to smell anything else in his life.

When Taeyong pulled back, Johnny wanted to chase him, but he held his hands firmly to Johnny’s chest. 

“I know it’s not our time, but do you think we could…”

Johnny raised an eyebrow. “You wanna fuck in the car.” It wasn’t a question.

“Ew, why’d you have to say it like that?”

“Because that’s what it is. If you wanna fuck in the car, you have to say it,” Johnny teased.

“Fine,” Taeyong pouted, rolling his eyes. He looked at Johnny directly, grazing his fingers along Johnny’s jaw. “Do you wanna fuck in the car?”

It wasn’t the most comfortable place, in fact it was the least comfortable place in the world, Johnny would say. They had their moments of bumping heads and falling over each other, but when they figured it out, it was _perfect_.

The backseat wasn’t terribly cramped for two grown men rutting against each other. Johnny had to love his car for that alone. The seat and half the door were at Johnny’s back, although some of the backseat was too, the way he was sprawled out. His feet pressed against the floor to help him grind upward, since one hand was busy, his fingers so far inside the man on top of him. Johnny’s dress pants and underwear were down to his ankles, while all Taeyong clothes were thrown to haphazardly wherever. All except that white lace crop top.

Taeyong was straddling Johnny’s thighs while their cocks slid against each other. Taeyong was panting into Johnny's mouth and Johnny figured he opened Taeyong enough. He wiped his slick-covered hand on the side of his shirt. 

“Do you want me to...” Johnny gestured for them to switch.

“No,” Taeyong said quickly. “No, just like this.” 

This man was going to kill him for sure. 

Johnny helped hold Taeyong up with both hands on his ass and waited for Taeyong to guide himself on Johnny’s cock. The little “o” shape his mouth made while lowering onto Johnny really made it tough for Johnny to not thrust up. Watching every little movement Taeyong made was a gift. A gift only he got to experience. 

Taeyong, with his eyes closed tight, bit his lip as he lowered halfway down but then released it immediately and let out a breathy moan. 

Johnny tried hard not to be too proud, that wasn’t what he should be focusing on. He should be focusing on the way Taeyong was practically sucking Johnny inside of him. At how his insides were so hot and felt amazing. At how when he sat down fully, Taeyong flexed his muscles, squeezing Johnny’s cock, making him see stars. 

“Oh, fuck. You’re doing so well.” 

Taeyong didn’t say anything, just moved his hips experimentally. This was the best thing that had ever happened to Johnny, hands down. Taeyong moved his hips with control like the dancer he was. He groaned freely whenever Johnny’s cock moved inside of him a certain way.

Then Taeyong pressed his hands onto Johnny’s chest and began riding him, carefully at first. He lifted himself up and sunk back down, and it wasn’t before long that he became progressively more hurriedly, chasing his pleasure.

No, this was the best thing to ever happen to him. 

Johnny let Taeyong do his thing. He watched him, running his hands up and down his sides, squeezing his ass, spurring him on with words of encouragement, telling him how hot he looked, how incredible he was. He couldn't stop running his hands over Taeyong’s lace shirt, thumb rubbing over his nipples. Fucking beautiful.

When Johnny could tell Taeyong was losing stamina, Johnny grabbed him by the hips and began thrusting upwards. He got so lost in the exhilaration of it all, he couldn’t hear anything other than Taeyong’s moaning, he couldn’t feel anything other than Taeyong. It was all Taeyong.

Taeyong was hanging on to his shoulders when he came, untouched. His short nails dug into Johnny’s skin, but that didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but getting his knot into Taeyong. And there it was, he had pushed only a few more times and it popped in, plugging him up. 

“Fuck, yup, that still hurts.” 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Johnny mumbled, coming hard inside of Taeyong. He pulled Taeyong against him, as much as he could anyway, holding him to his chest. He ran one hand down his back and the other through that soft, bright pink hair. 

🧸

Two lines was positive.

Taeyong’s shoulders sagged. He didn’t know whether to be happy or cry.

He did neither.

Taeyong raised his hand to knock on the door he was so familiar with. Only he couldn’t make himself knock, his fist just rested on the wood.

He sighed. He didn’t know why he felt a sick, foreboding feeling deep in his chest. This was _supposed_ to happen. He was _supposed_ to get pregnant. That was the whole point of the agreement he had with Johnny. 

Johnny.

He knew Johnny would be ecstatic. Over the moon. It’s all Johnny wanted.

It’s all Johnny wanted from Taeyong. 

Taeyong swallowed hard. Maybe that’s why he’s reluctant. 

_Knock-knock._

Taeyong startled himself, not realizing he had forced himself to action. 

And then all too soon, Johnny was answering the door with that devastatingly handsome smile, inviting him in, serving him a glass of wine, making small talk. The wine, as much as it would help with nerves, was left untouched. Taeyong’s heart was pounding so hard, he could hardly pay attention. 

They hadn’t talked about that time in the car, nor had they kissed since. Which was good. He knew it, Johnny knew it. It was a good time, but it couldn’t happen again.

“Are you alright?” 

It might have been the easiest thing in the world to say it. 

_I’m pregnant_. 

But he couldn’t get it out. 

He felt like a coward. He was a selfish man in this moment, and he knew it. He could admit that, at least. The way Johnny treats him, the way he makes him feel… He doesn’t want this to be _it._

That’s when Taeyong knew he couldn’t tell him. Not yet. 

Taeyong smiled at Johnny and breathed out all his apprehension. He’ll tell him in a few days. He’ll invite him out somewhere, for coffee, maybe. Somewhere that’s not _here_. Not intimate. 

And, as this was going to be the last time they would be together in this way, he refused to let this put a damper on the mood any more. Once he decided that, he felt weirdly relieved, a weight lifted off his shoulders. 

“Yeah, I’m good.” 

And then they were standing in Johnny’s bedroom, Johnny at his place leaning with his back against the wall across from the bed.

Taeyong began to take off his clothes with intention, not wanting to rush through this. He turned his back to Johnny as he removed his button up, dropping it on the floor at his bare feet. Then he reached at the nape of his neck and pulled up on his t-shirt, feeling the fabric slide up his back and over his head, and then let it fall to the floor as well. 

Turning to face Johnny, whose eyes had noticeably darkened, Taeyong popped open the button of his jeans and slid down the zipper. He hooked his thumbs in the waistband and tugged the jeans halfway down and stepped the rest of the way out of them. He didn’t take his eyes off of Johnny as he sat on the end of the bed and edged his way back to lie down with his head resting on Johnny’s pillows. 

Johnny was doing so well following one of the main rules they had; one of the last they hadn’t bent or broken completely: only start when Taeyong allows. Not moving forward until he got the OK was something Taeyong thought no other alpha could do, would do. So, Johnny stood there, against the wall, watching Taeyong intently with his hands fisted in the pockets of his pants. Taeyong could see the lust in his eyes, ready to join him in an instant. 

Taeyong never felt more sexy, more powerful than he did in that moment.

Closing his eyes and biting his bottom lip, Taeyong moved a hand to the front of his boxer briefs. He rubbed at his clothed dick as the fingertips of his other hand brushed against a nipple. All the nerves in his body were tingling in anticipation, from his scalp all the way to his toes. As he fondled himself, he felt the telltale signs of slick being produced and the need to be filled, his hole clenching down on nothing.

Focusing on Johnny once again, Taeyong pulled his underwear off, bringing his heels to his butt, to slide them the rest of the way off. Then he let his legs fall open. He trailed the tips of his fingers from his knees to his groin, one hand grabbed a hold of his cock and the other continued lower to his hole. 

Taeyong let out a sigh as he circled his hole with the pad of his middle finger. The sensitive nerves there had the muscles of his open thighs twitching. He liked this much better since that first time here.

After a few passes, he dipped his finger in and then pulled it out, repeating a few times until the surface of his hole was nice and wet with slick. Then he used that finger to massage the walls of his insides, stretching to make room for his ring finger to enter alongside the other in his hole, then began methodically moving them in and out, in and out. The hand on his now-hard dick was just loosely jerking off, not wanting to get himself too worked up. 

When he decided he was done playing, he shoved the two fingers in himself as far as he could. His eyes rolled upwards, his eyelids fluttered closed, and then he groaned Johnny’s name.

Immediately, Johnny took a giant step to the edge of the bed, simultaneously yanking his t-shirt off, and climbed on the bed, kneeling in between Taeyong’s spread legs. He kneaded his large hands on the insides of Taeyong’s thighs, making Taeyong’s back arch off the bed. Through heavy lidded eyes, Taeyong could see Johnny looking down at him like a hungry man at a feast who didn’t know where to begin. 

Taeyong shivered at the thought of Johnny devouring him completely. 

Johnny worked in two of his long, thick fingers under Taeyong’s and together, they both fucked open his hole, stretching him to take Johnny’s girth. Taeyong couldn’t help panting as they moved in tandem, their fingers now pumping faster and faster. 

“Johnny.”

“Yeah, I know,” he whispered back in a husky tone. 

“Please…”

When Johnny removed his fingers, he tugged on Taeyong’s hand to slide out as well, leaving Taeyong’s hole empty and open. He brought Taeyong’s messy fingers to his mouth, licking and sucking them clean of slick, before letting him go and then doing the same with his own fingers. Fuck, that was sexy. Johnny then practically tore off his sweatpants and underwear in his haste to cover Taeyong’s body with his own. 

The length of Johnny’s heavy cock pressed on Taeyong’s hole and then his hips started rutting against Taeyong’s. His cock slid against the now generously leaking hole, spreading his slick and getting Johnny all wet with it. 

Johnny, with one forearm planted on the bed by Taeyong’s head and his other hand holding Taeyong’s hip, lowered his face down until his nose nudged against the side of Taeyong’s neck. He took a long sniff of the flesh of Taeyong’s neck, groaning out an exhale before repeating, travelling up behind his ear and then back down all the way to his clavicle.

“You always smell so _good_ ,” he commented on his way back up again, his rough voice making Taeyong shiver and his cheeks redden. “Mmm. You smell even better today.” His hips shoved roughly against Taeyong’s bottom, emphasizing how turned on he was, like he couldn’t wait to be inside of him. Taeyong couldn’t help but bear down and push back.

Taeyong was done with foreplay, however. He didn’t want Johnny to question _why_ Taeyong smelled different or whatever other changes his body was going through already. So, he hooked his legs around Johnny’s waist and wrapped his arms around his back to pull him the rest of the way down. 

“Johnny,” he panted more impatiently. “Please.”

One last sniff against his neck and, “Yeah...okay,” and then Johnny’s hand guided his cock to Taeyong’s desperate hole. As he pushed in, Taeyong closed his eyes tight. The intrusion hurt so good. Every time after that first one has felt indescribable.

God, Johnny was so _big_. Every movement sent sparks shooting up his spine, he couldn’t help but moan aloud, especially since he knows Johnny loves that. Johnny pushed in slowly but firmly and Taeyong could feel his body making room for Johnny on a micro level.

With the small amount of room between them, Taeyong grabbed his cock and jerked himself to counter any twinges of pain with pleasure. He hadn’t come beforehand. He hadn’t wanted to since the car incident, as it was so satisfying to come with Johnny inside of him. It hurt a little more initially since he wasn't as relaxed, but it was worth it.

When Johnny finally bottomed out, Taeyong cracked open his eyes to find Johnny above him, staring at him with an unreadable expression. Something close to awe but Taeyong wasn’t sure— 

_No_. He couldn’t do this. Not now. He couldn’t deal with those dumb emotions. It’s just sex and Johnny feels so good, no doubt about that. It doesn’t mean anything.

Taeyong let go of his cock and dragged both his hand up Johnny’s abs, tweaked his nipple, and then reached around Johnny’s neck to pull him back down. 

“Come on, Johnny. I’m ready.” 

🧸

Johnny woke to feel Taeyong moving, sliding toward the edge of the bed. Johnny noticed his arm was around Taeyong’s waist, so he pulled back to let Taeyong get up and rolled on his back. 

“Sorry for waking you.”

“S’ok,” Johnny mumbled, his whole body was weighed down with sleep.

“Sorry for staying.”

Peeking his eyes open, Johnny saw Taeyong beginning to put his clothes on. “You don’t have to be sorry about that.” 

Taeyong glanced at him and quickly looked away, embarrassed? regretful? Johnny didn’t know. Even though he still feels so good from last night, there’s a weight on his chest. He fucked up, didn’t he? They’ve been getting too intimate. He knew it, he just didn’t really want it to stop. But maybe Taeyong knew when enough was enough.

When Taeyong went into the bathroom, Johnny took the opportunity to get up and start getting ready for work. They’d have to talk about this, they couldn’t let this get in the way of their relationship as it is. It was supposed to be professional, but that stopped a while ago, he knew. Now, he hoped they could be considered friends. But that would be messed up completely if they didn’t discuss it.

“Can I take you out for breakfast?” Johnny asked when Taeyong returned from the bathroom. 

“I’m supposed to be meeting Sicheng in about,” he took out his phone from his pocket and checked the time, “ten minutes ago.” 

“Oh, okay. Do you want me to drive you? I,” he rubbed the back of his neck, “I wanna talk about last night.” 

Taeyong stopped and looked at Johnny full on. His face softened and he smiled that little smile he does. 

“It’s fine, you need to get to work, mister. But we can have dinner tomorrow?”

Johnny grinned back. They’ll be okay. 

“Definitely.”

Jaehyun was in Johnny's office for lunch the next day. They had been finalizing the advertising details on Jaehyun’s very-soon-to-be-released album until putting everything aside when their food order was delivered. 

“What do you do when you fall for someone you’re not supposed to?” Johnny asks after a fairly long lapse in conversation. 

Jaehyun immediately stared at Johnny, chopsticks frozen halfway to his mouth. The noodles that splashed back in the bowl went unnoticed. 

“Say again, _hyung_ , I don’t think I heard you right.”

Johnny sighed, rolling his eyes and pushed aside his own food. “Never mind.”

“Wait wait wait, you mean to tell me that you— _you_ —have fallen for someone? Finally? Who is it? It’s me, isn’t it?” he laughed, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Fuck off.”

“Everyone falls for my charms at some point in their lives, it was bound to happen,” he went on, dramatically. “I’m sorry to break your heart, bro, but I am madly in love with the father of my child and… Oh.” Jaehyun’s eyes widened and then he grinned maniacally. “Oh, it’s Taeyong. It’s Taeyong, right? Tell me it’s Taeyong.”

Johnny kept a straight face but couldn't prevent his cheeks from reddening. 

“Damn it. I owe Doyoung chores, then.”

“What? You guys bet on me falling for Taeyong?”

“Well, sort of. I bet that Taeyong would confess first…He bet it’d be you.” 

Johnny sat back in his desk chair. “Well, like I said, it’s someone I can’t be with anyway, so there’ll be no confessing.”

Jaehyun looked genuinely confused. “What do you mean? Why not? You would be so good together.” 

Johnny couldn’t help but instantly imagine the two of them together, as a couple. Waking up yesterday morning with Taeyong in his bed felt incredible. Like he was complete…

“Yeah, well. It wouldn’t work. We’re literally trying to make a baby, which he definitely does not want ever. Also, I’m quite sure it’s just because we’re together all the time that our dumb wolf DNA wants us to be together permanently. Taeil mentioned something like that would happen. So, it’s probably just hormones and such.”

Jaehyun visibly deflated. “Oh, right.”

Johnny huffed a laugh. “Well, sorry to disappoint. Anyway, please don’t mention this to Doyoung about this. You know he’ll tell Taeyong and then it’ll just be awkward.” 

Not looking happy about it, Jaehyun nodded. “Alright, _hyung_ , I won’t. And I get what you said, but maybe it’s not just biology. Maybe you guys actually like each other. Maybe you shouldn't rule it out completely.”

Johnny shrugged, noncommittally, knowing full well he was going to rule it out completely.

They met at a tiny bistro, expensive, just how Johnny likes it since it means there’d be less people. Taeyong styled his hair differently, or rather, it didn’t look like it was styled at all. His bangs brushed down to his eyes, reminding Johnny of when they first met. He was wearing simple clothes, jeans and a sweater. Despite being in a fancy place, he felt overdressed comparatively in his suit pants and a jacket. 

They got halfway through dinner before Johnny noticed Taeyong wasn’t eating much. When he asked about it, Taeyong simply said he wasn’t feeling well. 

Johnny felt bad, wondering what he could do to make him feel better. Maybe he could make him some homemade soup or something. He was going to make his dad some soon anyway.

But then Taeyong distracted him completely, placing a small, black box in front of him. They didn’t give each other gifts, what was going on?

“What’s this?”

“Just open it, dummy.”

Johnny was extremely hesitant. He really didn’t know what to expect and Taeyong’s serene face wasn’t giving anything away. 

He opened the lid and set it aside. 

It was a necklace. Gold.

Strange, he didn’t really have a habit of wearing necklaces, but he wasn’t opposed to it. Still, he looked up at Taeyong suspiciously. 

Taeyong gestured for him to continue.

He took hold of either side of the thin chain and pulled it out carefully to inspect it. 

It didn’t seem like anything special until he focused on the gold pendant was a word, two syllables written vertically.

_Appa_

Johnny’s eyebrows furrowed and he looked back to Taeyong for an explanation. 

Taeyong again gestured for him to continue.

Johnny looked back in the box, there was a card under where the necklace had laid. He picked it up and turned it over, reading the word, _congratulations_. 

Under the card was a pregnancy test. He didn’t know exactly what anything on it meant, but he did put it all together. 

He looked back to Taeyong again. He didn’t trust himself to say anything but tried to convey his question with his face. 

Taeyong grinned and nodded. 

He was going to be a dad.

Johnny hated crying and he especially hated crying in front of people. On top of that, they were in public. But he couldn’t have helped it if he tried. His hands were covering his face to hide his dumb fat tears falling uncontrollable. He was going to be a dad.

After wiping his face off as best he could with the cloth napkin in front of him, he glanced up at Taeyong and felt the tears try to fall again. He was going to be a dad. 

He didn’t know how he could thank Taeyong. 

Only, Taeyong didn’t look as content as he was a few moments ago. Taeyong seemed nervous and he stared at the table. His eyebrows were furrowed and he was frowning.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” 

Taeyong took a calming breath and squared his shoulders. “Well, this is kind of one of those good news, bad news situations.”

Johnny’s heart was in his stomach. Something was wrong.

“Taeyong?”

“I’m leaving. I’m going back home.”

Johnny was so confused. “What? Why?”

Taeyong’s gaze was steady. He wasn’t joking, he wasn’t unsure. He seemed determined. “This thing between us, it’s really fucking with my head. I need to go home. And I need you to be okay with that.”

Taeyong wants to leave? This made no sense.

They-They had a deal, right?

But Johnny had to fight down his sudden anger. Staring at Taeyong now, he could see Taeyong wasn’t just telling, he was pleading with him. Johnny’s observations of Taeyong over these past two months, he knew Taeyong was nothing but a good, honest person.

The only thing he could think of was how these past two months he’d thought about how he’d do anything for Taeyong. 

Even this.

🧸

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was that last sex scene the very first thing that I wrote for this story? Maaaybe.  
> Anyway, sorry my brain broke, this will be finished soon, promise.
> 
> [Edit] Along with fixing the small stuff, I also changed two obvious things, Johnny drinking the event before driving home, and pregnant + wine, I didn't expressly say Taeyong didn't drink wine when he knew he was pregnant, so I just needed to clarify! Now that those things are out of the way, I feel better continuing 
> 
> ♡Thank you for reading♡


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